Not Always
by Jack E. Peace
Summary: Tessa is still intent on making sure that she gets everything she wants, including a better position at the Grand Waimea and a certain someone. But will the arrival of someone close to Tessa complicate matters or improve them? (Completed)
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: None of the characters from the show belong to me, they belong to Fox. Everyone else does.

A/N: So, I'll be the first to admit _North Shore _is no _O.C. _but it's a good summer filler. And since I requested this category, I figured I'd better write a fic based around the show. So, it's set after the episode "My Boyfriend's Back", which is the one where Tessa and her friend turn the tables on Roy. So, review and let me know what you think; it's four in the morning so I can't promise it's going to start our great, but just let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Chapter One

Tessa Lewis didn't think she had ever seen a day where the sky above the Grand Waimea Hotel was anything but crystalline blue but as she gazed past the sparkling, towering sides of the building where she worked, she could see nothing but clouds. This did nothing to brightened her already somber mood and she sighed as she looked away from the depressing sky, trudging toward the perfectly polished entrance. It wasn't uplifting to think that it even got cloudy in paradise.

_Some paradise this has turned out to be_, Tessa thought as she forced herself to smile at the men who pulled the double doors open for her as she stepped into the lobby. In all truth, life so far at the Grand Waimea hadn't been too bad, hell she'd lived through much worse. But it wasn't exactly what she'd had in mind when she'd found herself jetting off to Hawaii with that jerk-off Roy. But then again, who was the one behind bars now? That thought give Tessa a genuine smile as she strolled toward the customer relations desk, where it promptly disappeared when she caught sight of who was standing behind the polished oak. Nicole Booth, with that ever present dentist altered grin on her face, as she cheerily assured the spoiled guest in front of her that his every request would be accounted for.

Tessa sighed to herself as she pushed aside the swinging door that allowed her access to whatever happened to be behind the counter, feeling herself tense at the thought of the morning's Nicole Booth Encounter. It wasn't as though she didn't like Nicole...well, that _did _pretty much sum up how she felt about the leggy brunette that seemed to have everything, including her own hotel if rumors proved to one day be true. Tessa had often wondered if girls like Nicole had ever known a moment without daddy's credit car and a perfect beau on one arm and that was the main reason she quiet nearly despised her co-worker. Call it petty jealously, but it was there and both women knew it.

"Thank you for choosing the Grand Waimea." Nicole said, her voice light, smile large, as she waved a cheerful goodbye to the guest she had been dealing with at that moment.

Tessa let the door swing shut behind her, the creaking noise catching Nicole's attention and causing her to shift her attention away from the lobby. "Tessa." She greeted, almost icily. "You're almost late."

"Almost." Tessa pointed out, smoothing out her shirt so that she looked just as poised and professional as Nicole. "But I'm not late." Nicole didn't have anything to say and decided to turn her attention toward other matters.

"We have an interesting little problem." Nicole began and Tessa wondered just how interesting a problem could have developed recently. "A guest's luggage got put on the wrong plane and it arrived before he did." Tessa raised an eyebrow, a silent prompt to continue. "Among the suitcases was a pet carrier."

Nicole nudged aside several suitcases at her feet to reveal a miniature dog carrier, complete with miniature, yipping dog inside. Tessa scoffed, looking down at the dog scratching at the wire mesh and then back at Nicole. "What do you want me to do about it?" She questioned. "I handle guest relations, not pet care."

"I know that." Nicole answered shortly. "But I think making sure nothing happens to this little dog until the owner arrives would be part of your job description."

Tessa wondered what contract she had been reading but forced herself to plaster on a huge, and clearly, fake smile. "Sure." She said as cheerily as Nicole had spoken moments earlier. "Anything to assist the Grand Waimea."

Nicole glared at her for a moment, trying to figure out if she should even put the energy into a comeback. "Excellent." She muttered instead, pushing past Tessa and heading through the swinging door and into the lobby.

Tessa took the position Nicole had been standing in seconds before, sighing and resting her elbows on the counter, propping her chin in the palm of her hand. The tiny dog yipped obnoxiously at her feet and she rolled her eyes. _Just another day in paradise._

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Jason Matthews wasn't exactly glad that he bumped into Nicole when he did, but it saved him the trouble of trying to decide whether or not he should spend the time looking for her. She seemed intent to breeze right past him, no doubt on her way to spend precious time with her fiancé and he grabbed her elbow, forcing her to stop.

"Nicole," she focused her eyes on him. "We might have a bit of a problem."

Nicole sighed; it seemed like the morning for problems. Perhaps it wasn't as serious as she was trained to believe; Jason didn't look all that concerned, after all. "And that problem is?" She prompted.

"One of the maids, cleaning floor twenty-five as reported that her room keys have gone missing." Jason explained and Nicole sighed.

Though it rarely happened, every-so-often a mischievous guest would manage to swipe a room key or two and get into the rooms the keys belonged to. Sometimes it could be a problem, with stuff stolen from suitcases and drawers, but most of the time it was just bored kids with nothing else to do. "The keys to what rooms?" Nicole questioned, figuring they could put the occupants on their guard.

Jason sighed as well. "That's the thing. All of the keys were stolen."

Nicole's eyes went wide. "What?" She questioned incredulously. "I thought the maids were trained to keep stuff like that from happening." Two keys one thing but Jason was talking about at least twenty keys stolen right out from under a maid's nose.

"They are." Jason said, sounding much like he was defending whoever was seemingly at fault. "The maid said that she turned around to pull some fresh liens from her cart and then the keys were gone."

Nicole exhaled through her teeth. "Incredible." She murmured. "And she didn't see anyone in the hall?"

Jason shrugged his shoulders. "She didn't mention anyone." He answered. "I figure our best course of action right now is to look for the keys, such all the floors, keep an eye on the rooms."

Nicole nodded in agreement. "What guest would want to steal twenty room keys?" She questioned, though her words were meant to be more rhetorical.

"I guess we'll know when we find that person." Jason answered, raising an eyebrow and releasing Nicole's elbow.

Without another word, he continued into the lobby, leaving Nicole staring after him for a moment. And then, with a sigh, she continued on her way up the stairs.

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Tessa was trying to complete the crossword puzzle in that morning's edition of the paper when a seemingly distraught, middle-aged, pudgy woman came rushing toward the desk. She lifted her eyes from the blank squares and straightened up, trying to force on her best 'how can I help you?' smile. The words weren't even out of her mouth when the woman was prepared to answer them. "There's someone in my room." She said breathlessly and Tessa looked at her with interest. "Someone I don't know."

"Uh-huh." Tessa said. "And you just walked into your room and saw that person standing there?"

The woman shook her plump head. "No. They're in my shower." She clarified and Tessa raised an eyebrow. This was interesting.

"In your shower." The younger woman repeated. "And you're certain that it's no one you know."

The woman nodded in earnest. "Yes, I am quite certain." She said. "There is a stranger in my shower."

Tessa set aside her pen. "All right, then." She said, pushing aside the swinging door and stepping out from behind the counter. "We'll just find one of the managers and get up to your room."

The woman followed Tessa eagerly, continuing her rant about how frightened she was to hear someone singing in her shower when she came into her room. Tessa managed to nod at all the right moments but her mind was focused solely on finding Jason, the only person she'd even consider coming to with a question about anything.

Jason was standing by one of the perfectly polished and smooth ruining fountains in the middle of the lobby, patiently telling two small boys not to throw change in the water. He looked up, smiling slightly when he saw Tessa heading in his direction, with a large woman in tow. "Good morning Tessa." He greeted, smiling at the woman as well. "Is everything all right?" This question was addressed to the woman.

Tessa gestured to the lady behind her. "She says that she came into her room and found a stranger in her shower." She explained.

Jason's eyes went wide, his mind instantly backtracking toward the missing room keys. "And what floor are you on, ma'am?"

"Twenty-five." She supplied and Jason nodded, almost knowingly.

"There's been reports that several room keys were stolen earlier this morning." He explained. "Looks like yours was one of them." Jason gestured toward the elevator. "If you'll come with me, we'll get this straightened out."

Jason and the woman headed toward the elevators and Tessa tagged along. As he pushed the button to call the elevator cab down, Jason turned back to look at the young employee. "Don't you have a job to do?" He asked, not unkindly.

"Not unless you consider babysitting a dog doing my job." Tessa said, stepping into the cab with Jason and the guest.

Jason raised an eyebrow. "A dog?" He repeated.

"Nicole can fill you in later." Tessa assured him.

In moments the cab had reached the desired floor and the doors slid open soundlessly. Jason was surprised to see Nicole standing outside the doors, no doubt waiting for the elevator to return her to the lobby. Her eyes settled on the trio and she questioned, "What's going on?"

"This woman has reported that there's a stranger in her hotel room." Jason answered as he stepped out of the cab behind Tessa and the guest in question. "I thought it was probably related to the stolen room keys."

Nicole tagged along as the trio headed toward the woman's hotel room; she used her hotel key to open the door and hung back, urging Jason to go in first. Tessa followed closely after Jason, savoring the look that Nicole gave her.

As soon as they stepped into the room, it was clear that there was someone indeed in the room, singing off-key in the shower, which was running so hot that the room was beginning to steam up. Jason cleared his throat and rapped on the door with his knuckles. "Hello? Who's in there?" He called, hoping he could be heard above the running shower.

There was no answer and the singing continued. Nicole looked at Jason and shrugged her shoulders; he knocked on the door again, louder this time, but there was still no response. "Okay," he cleared his throat again. "We're coming in."

The door opened without problem when Jason turned the knob, swinging open to reveal a foggy bathroom. Nicole stepped forward, knocking on the shower door before sliding the door open. The young woman inside gave a loud cry of surprise and quickly hopped out of the way, snatching a towel off the hanger on the wall behind her and pressing it against her body. "What the hell?!" She shouted, blinking soap and shampoo out of her eyes.

Tessa let out a sigh of disbelief as she studied the girl quickly wrapping a damp towel around herself. Even with damp hair tangled with shampoo and confused eyes, there was no mistaking the girl inside the shower. "My God." She sighed, rolling her eyes, feeling nothing but utter disbelief. "Ashlee."

The girl blinked and looked up, smiling when her eyes settled on Tessa. "Hey Tess."


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

"You know this girl?" Nicole questioned, her narrowed eyes flicking from the girl sitting in the shower toward Tessa and remaining on her face. "It just figures." This last part was mumbled but Tessa heard it anyway but choose to ignore her words.

Tessa's eyes didn't move from the wet, grinning face of the young girl crouched in the shower, wrapped in a damp towel. "Yes, I know her." She said with a sigh. "She's my sister."

The girl in the shower grinned even wider, as though seeing Tessa standing in front of her was a genuine surprise. Once Tessa had explained their relationship, it wasn't difficult for Jason to see the resemblance; though the girl was a few years younger then his employee, only about sixteen or seventeen, they still looked a great deal alike, with the same brown eyes, freckled skin and no doubt brown sugar colored hair. "Your sister." Jason repeated, nodding his head slowly.

Almost comically, the girl extended her hand to him. "Ashlee Lewis." She introduced, not looking at all embarrassed by the fact that she was naked aside from the towel clinging to her wet skin.

Jason decided against shaking her head and Ashlee lowered it, shrugging slightly. "And you're the one that stole the room keys." That fact seemed obvious but he couldn't help but ask it anyway.

Holding the towel tightly, Ashlee stood up, squinting her eyes against the water streaming from the shower head as she twisted the handles and turned the water off. "I needed a shower." She answered when she turned back to face them. Tessa couldn't help but smile, shaking her head slightly.

Nicole didn't seem to see the humor in the situation. "What you have done is a serious offense." She pointed out, her voice harsh because she realized that no one else seemed to see that what Tessa's sister had done was wrong. Not even Jason, who seemed amused as well.

Jason looked over at her. "I don't think now is the time to get into this." He pointed out, gesturing toward the girl standing in only a towel, damp from head to toe. "Let her get dressed then we'll talk about what to do." Nicole narrowed her eyes but she didn't say anything.

Nicole and Jason headed out of the bathroom, leaving Tessa staring at her sister for a moment, a faint smile on her lips. "What are you doing here, Ashlee?" Tessa questioned, stepping aside and allowing her sister to get out of the shower.

"Looking for you." Ashlee admitted, looking closely at her sister. "I couldn't stay at home anymore, Tess."

Tessa sighed, she knew exactly what her little sister was talking about, what she had been subject to back home. "We'll get this straightened out." She said and Ashlee nodded. Maybe she could talk to Jason and explain things better, explain why things had ended up the way they had.

Jason closed the bathroom door behind him and instantly Nicole turned to face him, her eyes burning. "I can't believe this." She snapped and Jason resisted the urge to take a step back. "Tessa is always causing trouble here; she's not good for this hotel. Look at what's happened now."

"This isn't Tessa's fault." Jason pointed out, holding up a hand to stop Nicole's anger. "It was her sister that stole the room keys and broke into this room, remember; Tessa didn't have anything to do with this."

His words did little to calm Nicole's apparent fury. "How do we know this whole thing wasn't planned?" Jason couldn't help himself and rolled his eyes. Nicole realized that her claims were a little bit farfetched and she took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "All right, maybe not. But I don't want her sister getting off just because Tessa works here."

Jason nodded. "We'll get Vincent and make sure that she's punished." Saying those words sounded somehow childish to him but he couldn't think of anything else. Either way, it seemed to make Nicole happy and she nodded.

The bathroom door opened and Tessa and Ashlee stepped out, with the younger girl wearing a rumpled tee-shirt too big for her and a pair of cut-off blue jean shorts, her wet hair laying tangled on her shoulders. Nicole's eyes settled on Ashlee. "Do you have the rest of the room keys?"

Ashlee reached into her pocket and pulled out a stack of keys, handing them promptly to Nicole without a word. Nicole counted them and then put him into her own pocket. "Were you planning on breaking into the other rooms, too?" She questioned.

"Shouldn't I have a lawyer present for this type of thing?" Ashlee questioned, a grin on her lips again and Nicole narrowed her eyes. "Yes." She answered. "I was." Tessa shook her head again, looking amused by the whole thing.

Ashlee's behavior was typical, the constant smile as she did something wrong, the humor because she didn't know what else to do. She'd been that way all of her life, cracking jokes and smiling when she was really terrified. Nicole seemed surprised by her answer, as though she hadn't expected those words. "I was hungry." Ashlee explained. "I was going to open the little refrigerators."

Nicole looked back at Jason, as though commanding him to take some part in this discussion. "All right," he said, almost grudgingly. He could tell there was something about Ashlee, something that he couldn't quite place that Nicole hadn't even noticed. A motive behind her break-ins, perhaps. "Let's go downstairs and get Vincent and figure out what to do next."

Jason and Nicole left the room with Tessa and her sister in tow. Ashlee looked over at the older woman. "So, you work here, huh?"

Tessa gave her a confused look. "I think you knew that." She said and Ashlee shook her head. "Then why...?"

"Lucky guess." Ashlee suggested. "I just picked this hotel because it was big."

Tessa was silent, thinking about what Ashlee had said and was still silent when they reached the elevator and entered the cab with several other guests. Ashlee was forced to squeeze close to Nicole and gave the woman a grin that Nicole just ignored, rolling her eyes and staring straight ahead.

When the elevator reached the lobby, the polished steel doors sliding apart, Jason could see that the Grand Waimea was much busier now then it had been before he'd gone with Tessa to see who had stolen the room keys. Despite the guests crowded in the lobby, he could easily pick out his boss, Vincent Colville, talking to an elderly Chinese guest.

Vincent looked away from the man when he saw Jason approached and was about to give the old man his complete attention again when he saw that there was another girl, one he didn't recognize, following after them and Nicole with a frown fixed on her face. "Excuse me." Vincent muttered to the man before turning to face his general manager and his other employees. "What's going on, Jason?"

Nicole stepped up, seeming to push Tessa out of the way. "This girl," she gestured toward Ashlee. "Has stolen several room keys, broke into one of the rooms to use the shower, and informed me that she was planning on breaking into several other rooms."

Vincent's eyes settled on Ashlee, who simply smiled and stood close to Tessa; therefore, it was easy for him to see the resemblance. "Who is this girl?" He questioned, his gaze leaving the youngest Lewis and looking back at Jason.

"Ashlee Lewis." Jason answered. "Tessa's little sister." Vincent looked back at Ashlee and Tessa and found it even easier to see just how alike they appeared. "Nicole believes that charges should be pressed." Nicole cleared her throat and glared at him. "And so do I. I think that's the appropriate action."

Vincent looked at Tessa for a moment, who remained stony despite Jason's words, then looked back at his general manager. "Fine." He said. "Breaking and entering is a serious offense." This was spoken to Ashlee, who nodded once, slowly. "We'll go into my office, get the entire story, then decide what charges should be pressed."

They started toward the back of the hotel, where most of the higher ranking employees had their private offices, and where the employee's lounge was located, provided there was enough time to step away from a job and get back there. The hallway was hidden behind a single, solid oak door that required a swipe from a security guard to open, keeping guests from stumbling back into the offices by accident.

Nicole reached the door first and reached into her pocket to retrieve her wallet, where she kept her security badge and other identification, but found nothing but the room-keys Ashlee had given her. She checked her other pocket, but it was empty as well. Jason stepped up beside her. "What's the matter?"

"I can't find my wallet." Nicole muttered, not worried yet but feeling like an idiot, especially in front of Vincent, for leaving her wallet at home when she used her security card at least twice a day. "I could have sworn I didn't leave it at home."

Tessa looked over at Ashlee, who was staring down at the carpet beneath her feet and nudged her sister. "Give it back." She commanded and both Nicole and Jason turned to look at the younger girl. Even Vincent seemed interested in what Tessa was talking about.

Ashlee looked up and saw that everyone was staring at her. "I don't know what you're talking about." She said, looking over at Tessa, who wasn't buying her act for a minute.

Tessa reached into her sister's shorts pockets without a word, retrieving Nicole's leather wallet and handing it to her. "Ashlee's always had the quick hands in the family." Nicole took her wallet back, glaring at Ashlee. "She probably took it when we were in the elevator." Ashlee smiled slightly. Tessa sighed, looking at her sister then over at Vincent. "We're a family-"

"Of con artists?" Nicole supplied icily, opening her wallet and making sure that everything was still inside.

"With special talents." Tessa and Ashlee said together and Jason got the feeling that they'd been told that exact phrase since they were kids. And for some reason, that fact tugged at his heart and he felt a sudden sadness that he couldn't place.

Nicole took out her security card and swiped it across the small, white box on the right of the door, which beeped cheerfully and allowed her to open the door. Once they were in Vincent's office, the manager of the Grand Waimea, shut the door and motioned for Ashlee to take a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk before sitting in a large leather chair opposite her. Ashlee suddenly felt like she was very much so in an integration. "First of all," Vincent began, not offering the others a seat. "How old are you?"

Ashlee hesitated for a moment but then realized that if she gave a lie, then they'd know it because of her prolonged silence. "Seventeen." She answered dutifully, studying Vincent carefully. He was worn, old and chiseled and it was difficult for her to read any of the emotions on his face, let alone tell whether or not he'd already made up his mind about what to do with her.

"A minor." Vincent mumbled. "Do your parents know you're here?" Ashlee gave him a negative answer. Tessa was watching her sister closely. "So you ran away from home." He deduced. "I'm going to have to call your parents and send you back to...wherever you've come from."

Ashlee leaned for in her chair and Tessa even took a step toward her boss. "You can't do that." The younger girl protested. "I'd rather go to prison." She looked back at Nicole but the dark haired woman was motionless. "That's what you want anyway, right?"

"You can't go to jail for stealing room keys." Jason said and everyone turned to look at him for a moment. Tessa's eyes remained on him the longest, much longer then Nicole would have liked. "Maybe we don't have to do something so drastic, right Vincent?"

Vincent sighed, leaning back against his chair, the leather squeaking beneath him. "Certainly not prison, no." He said. "But I can't let you stay here without your parents' knowledge or permission."

"Sir," Tessa said, causing Vincent to look over at him. "I'm Ashlee's older sister, I think I should be able to take responsibility for her." She looked down at her sister and then back at her boss, giving him a solid glance, something shining in her eyes. _I've done a hell of a lot for your hotel, _her eyes said, _you owe me something_.

Vincent couldn't help but sigh, looking away from Tessa and back to Jason and Nicole. "That still doesn't solve the problem of repercussions for breaking into another guest's room." He looked at Ashlee. "That's a very serious crime, young lady, and one that I don't take lightly."

Ashlee sighed and Jason looked over at the younger girl; he'd given Tessa a chance all those weeks ago, maybe it would pay off in the exact same manner to give her sister one as well. "What about a sort of community service?" He suggested, causing Nicole to look over at him. "She could work here for a while; we're still sort a maid after Tessa got promoted."

"Absolutely not." Nicole protested instantly. "She's already broken into one of the rooms; making her a maid would give her unlimited access to this hotel."

Ashlee looked back at the woman. "Don't you think you're over-reacting a little?" She questioned and Nicole narrowed her eyes. "I just took a shower."

Nicole looked over at Vincent. "But that's not to say she won't take anything else." She pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest. "Listen to me, Vincent, this girl shouldn't be trusted, I can't even believe you're considering something like this."

Vincent stared at her with a stony expression on his face. "I never said I was considering it, Miss Booth." Nicole's stance became less defensive. "But I think Jason's idea much have potential; the Grand Waimea wouldn't have to hire another maid, and thus cut down on costs. And we are in desperate need of a maid, guests have begun to complain."

Nicole tried to think of a protest without sounding like she was mouthing off to her boss. "Vincent, with all due respect, I think you'd be putting the hotel in danger. There's no telling what she could do on her own."

"You're right." Vincent said. "That's why I'm putting you in charge of keeping an eye on her." Nicole's mouth nearly dropped open. "She's your responsibility, Nicole, and if there's a problem, it's your call."

Nicole muttered something and Vincent turned his attention to Ashlee, who was still watching him closely. "This is just temporary, and if there's one screw-up, I don't care how minimal, you're on the first plane back home. Do you understand." Ashlee assured him that she did. "You're to report to Nicole after every room you clean and she'll do an inspection."

"To make sure I don't take shit, right?" Ashlee questioned with a smile, which quickly disappeared as she shifted in her seat. "I mean, yes sir, I understand."

Tessa chuckled slightly and hid her mouth behind her hand, pressing her fingers against her lips. Vincent acted as though he didn't notice her. "You're all dismissed." He looked at Ashlee. "Go with Nicole, she'll get you started on cleaning."

The group headed toward the door, with Tessa bringing up the rear, causing Vincent to clear his throat, getting her attention. "She's your sister, so I trust you know her better then the rest of us," he began. "But if she screws up, you're gone too and I mean it Tessa."

Tessa nodded. "Yes sir. She won't mess up, I promise." Vincent waved his hand, dismissing her and she joined the others in the hallway.

Nicole glared at Jason, keeping her voice low. "Why did you stand up for them?" She snapped, voice harsh because of her low tone. "That girl is a criminal, Jason."

Jason looked at her evenly. "I don't have to clear everything with you, Nicole. And I don't have to watch myself around you, anymore, you're already engaged." Nicole's glare deepened and he instantly wished he hadn't took that shot at her.

Nicole turned to look at Ashlee, giving her a rough nudge forward. "Come on." She commanded. "You're got a lot of work to do." She pushed Ashlee ahead, away from the others and started giving her the rules of the Grand Waimea even before they had left the hallway.

Tessa looked over at Jason and smiled. "Thanks, Jason, for helping my sister like that."

Jason smiled back, waving his hand dismissively. "I just hope I won't regret it." He muttered and Tessa shook her head.

"You won't." She assured him, briefly touching his arm before heading off down the hallway after Nicole and Ashlee.

Jason was surprised to find himself staring after Tessa long before she had vanished into the lobby once again. He sighed, blinking and clearing his throat. It was already a long day and he had the feeling it was about to get longer.


	3. Chapter Three

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Thanks so much for all the reviews! It's good to know that people out there like what I write! So, keep those reviews coming, I like to know what you think of every chapter. Thanks again.

Chapter Three

Nicole squinted as she stepped outside, the warm sand of the beach that stretched out before her warming her toes, and held up her hand to shield her eyes. Beside her, Tessa's sister shifted uncomfortably, pulling at the undoubtedly hot black wool maid outfit that was one size too big to start out, trying to give her skin a little breathing room. "Stop." Nicole commanded, even though she pitted the girl. "You'll wrinkle it." Ashlee's hand dropped dutifully to her side and she sighed.

"Your first job will be to clean the bungalows." Nicole began, lowering her hand so that she could gesture across the beach. Ashlee followed her line of sight, squinting her eyes in the sun, and could barely make out a side of the first bleach white bungalow. "As soon as you've finished, I want you to find me at once, understand?"

Ashlee nodded. "Sure, boss." She said with that wiry grin that Nicole couldn't exactly understand. It seemed to show up no matter the situation or the conversation, as though a grin didn't really convey any emotion.

Nicole studied her for a moment, taking her in new appearance; she had shed her wrinkled clothes for the heavy black maid's uniform, which was regulation no matter how out-date it. With her long hair dried and feathered, she looked even more like Tessa, though the youngest Lewis girl was shorter then her sister. Ashlee had both hands wrapped tightly around the plastic handle of the bulky maid's cart she had been issued moments ago, already anticipating the struggle it was going to be to get the cart over the sun and to the bungalows. No one ever wanted to clean the bungalows because it was such a difficulty getting the cart out to them, much more trouble then it was worth according to many of the maids and, naturally, Nicole had dumped the responsibility on Ashlee. At least, that was the explanation she had given the teenager before dragging her to the beach.

"All right." Nicole said when she was satisfied. "Don't forget to come get me as _soon _as you're down."

Ashlee assured her that she'd remember and shoved the cart off the concrete sidewalk just outside the staff entrance of the Grand Waimea and into the white sand. The cart lurched but she managed to keep it from toppling over; without another glance at Nicole, she started forcing it through the sand, wincing every time the sand gritted against the wheels, creating a horrible screeching noise.

The cart was halfway to the bungalows, trudging slowly down the beach, when Ashlee heard someone calling out to her. Squinting, she turned in the direction of the voice, looking directly at a tanned blonde woman in a white tank top and short shorts heading in her direction. Ashlee sighed. "What are you doing?" The woman questioned when she got close enough to speak to the newest employee without shouting.

Ashlee looked at the woman, noting her nametag, which simply read MJ, trying to figure out if she were just curious or upset. Judging by the glare, she would have to go with upset. "I work here." Ashlee explained, as though the bulky maid's cart wasn't enough. "I was just going to clean the bungalows."

The woman looked from her to the cart and back again. "Aren't you a little young to be working here?" She questioned.

"I'm Tessa's sister." Ashlee said, as though that would explain everything.

The woman, MJ Ashlee assumed, looked at her closer and then nodded, as though someone would lie about something like that. "Even if you work here," MJ began, "you can't just push this cart down the beach. You're disturbing the other guests."

Ashlee knew that she was right, she had noted the looks of the women working on their perfect tans and the scowls of the businessmen on cell phones but hadn't really given them a second glance. After all, they weren't the ones pushing this stupid cart down the beach, now were they? For a moment, she thought about telling MJ this, but the woman didn't look like she was in the mood to hear her opinion on things and so Ashlee just kept silent.

The look on MJ's face softened slightly. "There's a cement path that winds that way," she gestured off toward the right, "just past the Tiki Bar Restaurant."

Ashlee looked in the direction the blonde woman was pointing and saw that there was indeed a path, clear against the brown face of the restaurant, curving directly up to the bungalows. Her mouth dropped open and she narrowed her eyes, shaking her head slowly. "I can't believe that." She mumbled. Nicole had lied to her, deliberately making her work harder then she was supposed to, in the heat, looking like an idiot pushing a cart through the sand. "I should've known." Ashlee sighed.

MJ studied her for a moment. "Nicole tell you to come this way?" She guessed and Ashlee nodded. "No offense to Nicole, because she saved my job, but that sounds like something she would do."

Ashlee looked at the blonde knowingly. "She hates my sister." She stated simply. "And she doesn't like me either."

MJ raised an eyebrow. "Guilty by association?" She offered and Ashlee shook her head.

"I stole some room keys and broke into one of the rooms." She explained nonchalantly. "Then some old guy decided to make me work as a maid and put Nicole in charge of keeping an eye on me. She's not too happy about that."

MJ looked surprised by this confession, giving the girl a careful glance. "You're the one that stole the keys." She sighed, shaking her head. "I'm surprised Vincent even decided to give you a job."

Ashlee shrugged. "So far, this isn't much of a job." She pointed out. "I'm cleaning up after other people and not even getting paid." She grinned slightly at MJ. "At least when I had to clean my own room I got allowance."

MJ couldn't help but smile; the kid had a point. She was about to say so when a guest, busy tanning herself several feet away, called out for a waitress. She rolled her eyes. "That's me." She explained, heading toward the woman. "Try and take the path next time, it'll make getting to the bungalows much easier." MJ advised and Ashlee nodded.

Once MJ had gone to serve the rich and spoiled, Ashlee was alone again with her bulky cart; she glanced toward the path and decided it would make her life easier to get the cart to the cement. With a groan, she maneuvered the cart so that it was facing the path and then started pushing again. Already, she was wishing she'd gone to jail; at least there you didn't have to do manual labor.

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Nicole sighed wearily as she entered the suite she had been staying in for the past several weeks, feeling as though she had been awake and moving for hours when only two had past since she'd left the room. Her fiancé, Morgan Holt, was sitting on the bed, his cell phone against his ear, when she came in and Nicole was relieved that he hadn't already left.

As Morgan finished up his phone conversation, Nicole flopped onto the bed, pulling the rumpled, tangles sheets over her head and sighing again, shutting her eyes. Morgan closed his cell phone, tossed it onto the bedside table and turned around to face where his fiancée lay. "Nicole?" He pulled the sheets away from her face. "What are you doing here? I didn't know you had a break."

Nicole opened her eyes. "I don't." She answered flatly, wishing she could just take the rest of the day off. But she'd been doing a lot of that lately, and Vincent didn't seem like he would be too keen to ignore that fact for much longer. "But I need one."

Morgan gave her a sympathetic look. "Bad day?" Nicole nodded, pulling the sheets over her face again. "Irate guests?" He guessed.

"Worse." Nicole mumbled. "Remember Tessa, Tessa Lewis, she works with guest relations?" If Morgan nodded, she wouldn't have been able to see anyway. "Well, her sister suddenly showed up and stole some room keys, broke into a room and then Vincent decided to hire her as a new maid." She sat up suddenly, the sheets falling off her face. "I can't take it, Morgan, that girl is a brat and _I'm _in charge of her." She sighed, rolling her eyes toward the ceiling. "It's like Vincent's punishing me for all those times I went off with you and left Tessa in charge."

Morgan couldn't help but smile slightly, reaching out and taking her hand. "Maybe you've over-reacting a little, baby." He suggested. "She can't be that bad."

Nicole glared at him. "She's a criminal, Morgan, don't you start defending her too." She sighed again.

"Maybe it's only temporary." Morgan suggested, kissing Nicole's knuckles. "I've got a meeting to go to, but you're welcome to come along if you want. We could get lunch afterward."

To Nicole, it seemed as though he was offering the invite just to say that he did. "No," she could see that he seemed to relax. "I've got to get back to work." She sighed. "I've got to check on Ashlee." For all she knew, that bratty little girl had destroyed the bungalows and made off with all the valuables she could find.

Nicole and Morgan both stood up, heading for the door; Nicole opened it and stepped into the hallway, turning back when Morgan took her arm. "Try and cheer up baby." He said as he kissed her.

After the kiss had been broken, Nicole sighed. "I'll try." She mumbled.

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Tessa knelt down so that she was beneath the guest relations desk and peered at the small crate that had been tucked away below as well. A tiny ball of fluffy fur stared back at her from behind the mesh of the cage, round eyes looking as they expected something. "I can't let you out." Tessa said after studying the dog for a moment. Instantly, she felt foolish for talking to something that couldn't talk back and she sighed. Why wouldn't his stupid owner just show up all ready?

"Tessa?" The voice calling her name startled the employee of the Grand Waimea so much that she jumped, knocking her head on the underside of the counter.

"Ow." Tessa muttered, gently touching her skull where she was certain a bump was going to develop soon. Slowly, she crawled out from beneath the desk, leaving the dog, and stood up, smoothing the wrinkles out of her outfit.

Jason was standing on the other side of the counter, looking slightly amused. "What were you doing?" He questioned when Tessa turned to look at him.

"Checking on the dog." Tessa explained, smiling slightly at him. Lately, he seemed to have that affect on her. Jason raised an eyebrow and she explained how the guest's luggage had arrived before the guest and that Nicole had put her in charge of keeping an eye on the pint sized canine.

Jason sighed and grinned slightly. "At least we can say that the Grand Waimea is the only hotel that treats dogs as well as people." He remarked and Tessa smiled as well. "Anyway," he said, getting to the point of his visit. "I was just wondering if you'd heard from Nicole or Ashlee."

Tessa shook her head. "Not since leaving Vincent's office." She told him. "Why?" She raised an eyebrow. "Nervous?"

Jason waved his hand dismissively. "Of course not." He could tell that his act wasn't fooling her. "Maybe a little; if Ashlee gets on Vincent's bad side, she's not going to be the only one losing a job." He studied Tessa for a moment. "Aren't you nervous? Vincent made it clear that you'd lose your job too."

Now it was Tessa to make a dismissive gesture. "I know my sister." She told him. "She's not as big a screw-up as everyone wants to think. Besides, she wouldn't put my job in jeopardy, or yours."

For some reason, Tessa's words seemed to dismiss any worries he had in a way that his own mental reasoning couldn't. Maybe it was the way that Tessa knew her sister better then anyone else, or the way that she looked at him with those eyes that didn't look like they had ever told a lie -though he knew that wasn't the case; either way, Jason wasn't sure. He smiled again. "I'm sure you're right." Tessa smiled. "Anyway, I've got to go deal with a guest that needs his own personal satellite dish."

Tessa rolled her eyes and smiled slightly. "Good luck." She remarked and Jason headed off toward the elevators. She watched him go, the smile still on her face; Jason definitely had some potential, she decided. At least he was step up from her last boyfriend.

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Nicole found herself impressed when she saw the first of several bungalows Ashlee Lewis had been assigned to clean and she wasn't very often impressed. Ashlee stood beside her, silently, staring down at the floor as though she already anticipated a bad reaction. But Nicole couldn't imagine how she could give one, with the beds made perfectly, the floors vacuumed, everything polished and all the glass clear and sparkling.

"Very nice." Nicole told the girl, nodding her head. She turned to look at Ashlee. "You did this all by yourself?"

Ashlee looked up and nodded. "My mom used to be a house cleaner before she got too drunk to even get up in the morning." She explained. "I used to help her out sometimes."

Nicole wasn't quite sure if she should feel uncomfortable because of Ashlee's short foray into her past but the teenager didn't seem to think anything of it so she decided not to either. "You did a nice job." She repeated. "Vincent will be pleased."

"Thanks." Ashlee smiled, a real smile this time, not that ever present grin and Nicole smiled back.

Maybe Morgan was right, maybe Ashlee wasn't as bad as she had first thought. She just wished she could say the same about her sister.


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

The setting sun reflected across the rippling waters of the stretching ocean, seeming to turn the water and everything else delicate hues of gold and pink. Even though she had lived in Hawaii for her entire life, the sight of the beautiful sunset never failed to amaze MJ, causing her to stop whatever she was doing and watch as the sun sank lower and lower and the night began to take control. Even now, as she headed toward the staff lounge of the Grand Waimea, she found herself taken aback by the splash of color that made every moment of waiting on rich guests almost seem worth it.

For the moment, the private beach, open only to the big spending guests of the hotel, was silent, as only a few guests were enjoying the sunset. MJ could faintly hear the sound of a live jazz band playing on the patio of one of the close, upscale restaurants and it seemed to compliment the atmosphere. If only every moment was as perfect as this one.

Pulling herself away from the sunset, MJ continued her walk toward the employee entrance at the side of the grand hotel. She hoped to find several of her friends inside the lounge and see if they wanted to join her and Chris at their favorite spot for after-work drinks. After hitting the numbers that would allow her access to the building through that door, she entered, blinking to let her eyes adjust from the vibrant colors to the dimness of the hallway.

From the lounge, which was really nothing spectacular but one of her favorite places nonetheless because there was no one ordering her around, MJ could hear the faint sound of voices. She pushed the door open and saw a handful of employees standing around, gossiping among one another as they changed into more casual, comfortable clothes.

Among them was the teenager she had met earlier, Ashlee, standing by herself toward the back of the room, trying to pull the tent of a maid's outfit over her head. MJ smiled slightly to herself and headed over to the girl, who managed to wrestle out of the heavy cotton, tossing the outfit to the ground. "I see you're still here, which must mean that Nicole didn't fire you." She remarked and Ashlee looked up, not expecting to see someone who knew her. "I guess that makes you an employee of the fabulous Grand Waimea."

Ashlee sighed and rolled her eyes half-heartedly. "Yeah, whoopee." She mumbled, bending down to gather her rumpled uniform. "One guest wanted me to iron every piece of her wardrobe for her while she sat in her room and talked on the phone. And she didn't even tip." She tossed the uniform into the clothes hamper along with the other black and white outfits.

MJ nodded sympathetically and patted Ashlee on the back. "Welcome to the Grand Waimea." She remarked. "But, since you're now an employee, you can join me and my friends at a little place down the beach where we bitch about our lives and squander our paychecks on drinks and pool." She winked.

Ashlee smiled. "Sounds like home." She remarked and MJ smiled as well. "Where do I sign up?"

The door opened once more and Tessa came inside, muttering to herself and looking much more stressed then her sister felt. Ashlee looked up, brightening slightly and called her sister's name. It was then that she noticed that Tessa wasn't alone, carrying a small crate with holes in the sides and a mesh door.

"What is that?" MJ questioned when Tessa had joined them in the other woman trust the crate at her. MJ saw that there was a tiny dog inside the cage and it didn't look too happy.

Ashlee looked at her sister. "We got a dog?" She questioned. "Cool."

"No, we didn't get a dog." Tessa correctly shortly, sighing and attempting to keep her anger stored up for the person that deserved it. "Nicole is making me watch this thing until the person it belongs to shows up."

MJ set the crate on the ground and unsnapped the latch, allowing the dog to bound out happily. She picked up the white fuzz ball and smiled. "It's so cute." She looked at Tessa, who didn't seem to agree. "Where's its owner?"

"In California." Tessa answered promptly. "With a bad plane ticket and no luggage." She sighed. "Nicole decided that my new job title included babysitting a dog." That sort of stuff would only happen to her.

Ashlee looked at the dog, squirming in MJ's arms, and then back to her sister. "And what are we supposed to do with that dog?" She questioned. "You hate dogs."

"I know." Tessa said, shrugging her shoulders. "I have no idea what to do with it; Vincent is trying to arrange to have the luggage and the dog sent by plane back to California but that could take days, especially because its a live animal."

MJ laughed as the dog licked her cheeks and Tessa wished that she was as excited about the rat with hair. "Nicole gave me her speech on responsibility," she continued, "about how if anything happened to the dog it was my fault and the hotel's and I'd better take better care of it then I do myself."

Ashlee smiled at her sister, even though she knew that she wasn't telling a joke and Tessa just rolled her eyes. MJ put the dog back into its cage, and it proceeded to whine and scratch on the mesh door. Tessa narrowed her eyes. "If it does this while I'm trying to sleep, I'm throwing it off the balcony."

MJ stood. "Why can't Nicole watch the dog?" Tessa's stare answered her question in a way words never could; Nicole was far too busy remembering what it was like to be self-involved, with a fiancé that wasn't so doting, and a beautiful wedding coming up. It was much easier to stick responsibility on someone else. "You seem like you could use a drink."

Tessa sighed and nodded her head. "I could use several."

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The Surf Shack had many things going for it and, while a creative name was not one of them as far as Tessa was concerned, its other attributes more then made up for that simple little faux pas. The shack was an outside bar, with bamboo beams, a palm leaf roof and a Tiki bar, which was were she was, helping herself to another Strawberry Daiquiri -her alcoholic vice-, when Jason tapped her on the shoulder. He smiled when she turned to face him. "I haven't seen you here before." He remarked, then looked as though he realized he had just used one of the worse pick-up lines in history.

Tessa couldn't help but smile, taken aback by how adorable he looked at that moment and took her drink from the bartender. "MJ decided I was ready to be let in on a local-hot spot." She explained, taking a sip of the chilled drink.

The bar, though Tessa figured that was using the term loosely, was filled with people, gathered around the tables anchored with sand, and the several pool tables as though there was no where else to go to get a decent drink in all of Hawaii. Jason smiled and followed her back to the pool table where Ashlee was currently setting up for her next shot, playing against the bartender at the Grand Waimea, Frankie. When she'd left her sister moments earlier, she had been taking Frankie for all he was worth and it didn't seem like much had changed.

Jason watched approvingly as Ashlee knocked the white ball into the right side of the table, causing it to knock into two solid balls, depositing them both into a pocket. "So, you can play pool too." He remarked and Ashlee looked up. "Is there anything you can't do?"

"Legal or illegal?" Ashlee questioned as she set up for her next shot and Jason couldn't tell if she was being serious or not. Tessa smiled and sipped at her drink, so he decided to take the comment lightly.

After Ashlee sunk her remaining two balls, Frankie shook his head as though he couldn't believe what had just happened. "Remind me never to play against you again." He muttered, giving the girl a half smile as he handed her twenty dollars.

"That's just change." Tessa remarked to Ashlee, nudging her in the side. "You used to play for higher then that."

Ashlee smiled at Frankie. "I know, but I thought I'd go easy on him." She said and Frankie rolled his eyes. "What's the fun if I can't beat him tomorrow?" Frankie scoffed and headed toward the bar. "Amateur." She remarked with a smile.

Chris Remsen, who had been for the most part watching the game in silence from his spot standing beside MJ, spoke up. "Everyone looks like an amateur next to you, Ashlee." He remarked. "Where did you learn how to play?"

Ashlee picked the square of chalk off the side of the table and proceeded to chalk the tip of her cue stick. "Tess taught me." She explained, looking over at her sister, who smiled modestly.

Jason looked at Tessa. "I didn't know you could play." He said. "You've never tried to play before."

Tessa shrugged, suddenly feeling self-conscious, an emotion she had never felt before in her life. "I'm not really that good." She mumbled, finishing off the last of her drink and setting it in the sand.

Ashlee finished chalking her stick. "Tess, you've never been modest before." She remarked and handed the stick to her sister. "She's even better then I am."

Jason picked up Frankie's discarded stick and chalked the tip. "That's something I'd like to see." He said, looking at Tessa. "You wanna play?"

"Why not?" Tessa said with a smile, removing the balls from the pockets closest to her.

Ashlee smiled, looking from her sister to Jason and then back again; she'd known Tessa her whole life, so naturally, she knew just how her sister acted around guys, whether she liked them or not. And she wasn't acting that way around Jason, not bothering to put on an act on the off-chance that she might want something in the future, but acting more like the Tessa that she had grown up with.

For a moment, Ashlee remained beside her sister and watched Tessa break the balls, starting the game, but then she realized just how boring it was to watch someone _else _play pool. She looked over at MJ and Chris, but they seemed captivated by the game of eight ball.

Unnoticed, Ashlee slipped away from the pool table, heading toward the back of the bar and toward the beach, where she intended to get her first good look at the ocean before her. Who knew that concentrating so hard on doing a job for a prima-Donna could make you forget that you were in Hawaii, one of the most beautiful places in the world. She kicked her shoes off and walked barefooted, wishing that they had places like this back home, with no floor and no wall, just the sand and the sky around.

Before she reached the back of the bar, Ashlee spotted someone that she had seen a lot in the past several hours: Nicole Booth, walking down the beach with a man she had never seen before. The man was saying something that caused Nicole's brow to furrow, looking as though she didn't quite agree what he was saying but she remained silent.

Interested and not knowing why, Ashlee slipped closer toward them, realizing that they were heading toward the building and leaned against the wall that separated the bar from the kitchen in the back so that she could listen in without Nicole catching sight of her.

"Nicole," the man was saying as they got closer, "Vincent isn't just going to sell the hotel willingly, you know that. Hell, everyone knows that. Sometimes has to happen to make sure that he has to sell, willing or not."

There was silence for a moment. "I know, Morgan." Nicole said finally. "But I don't like the idea of making that something happen on purpose; the Grand Waimea is where I work, I have friends that work there."

Ashlee slowly peered around the side of the wall, trying to pick out Nicole and the man out of the darkness but she couldn't see them.

"It has to happen somehow, Nicole, are your father will never the hotel." Morgan told her.

Nicole let out a long sigh. Ashlee tried to inch closer, but someone's hand dropped on her shoulder, causing her to cry out in surprise and stumble forward, crashing into the sand. "Whoa, sorry." The person apologized, though he didn't sound at all sorry but amused.

Ashlee sat up and turned around to Jason standing behind her, giving her a bemused look. "Are you all right?" He questioned, offering his hand and helping her to her feet.

"Don't do that again." Ashlee mumbled, brushing sand off her shorts and tee-shirt. "What's up?"

Jason looked at her for a moment, as though trying to figure out just what she had been doing without speaking the question. After a minute, he said, "Tessa wanted to see if you wanted to play a game of pool with her."

Ashlee was silent, trying to figure out why Tessa hadn't come herself and saw that her sister was racking the balls in the center of the table. Wordlessly, she nodded and followed Jason back toward the table. "How'd your game go?" She questioned.

Jason let out a sigh, pursing his lips. "Tessa won." He remarked. "And now she's thirty dollars richer."

Ashlee smiled at him. "I figured."


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Tessa yawned as she yanked her tank top over her head, tossing it aside, and pulling an oversized football jersey on in its place. She had no idea how late it was and her head was spinning, but she doubted it was just because of the trio of Strawberry Daiquiris she'd had in the past hours. For some reason, she couldn't stop thinking about Jason Matthews and how his entire face seemed to brighten when he smiled or how adorable he had looked when he realized that there was no way he had a chance to win the game of pool they had been playing. Tessa shook her head, as though trying to shake those thoughts free, and looked at herself in the mirror. _Jason is your boss, _she mentally told her reflection, _so get control of yourself. _She nodded once, but she wasn't satisfied.

From the main room of her apartment, which was little then a single room with a bathroom off to the side, Tessa could hear Ashlee bouncing on her bed as she sang along, quite out of tune, with the radio that she was blasting despite the fact that it was well past midnight. The tiny dog, which now believed that it had run of the apartment, was yipping and running around as well and Tessa rolled her eyes. Her sister wasn't the problem, she'd dealt with Ashlee her entire life; it was the dog that was going to have to go.

Yawning again, Tessa opened the bathroom door and stepped out, stretching her arms above her head. She narrowed her eyes when she saw that the dog was on the bed as well, running around Ashlee's legs as she bounced around the mattress, acting as though she had never had so much fun before.

"With you, I can let my hair down!" Ashlee declared loudly, screeching horribly along with the singer on the radio. She flopped down on her stomach and picked up the dog, holding it eye level. "I can say anything crazy!"

Tessa clicked off the radio. "Get that thing off my bed." She commanded, not unkindly, and Ashlee complied, tossing the dog off the bed and rolling off herself, grinning at her sister. "What are you so happy about?" She asked.

"Nothing." Ashlee told her, sitting cross-legged on the floor and reaching out for Tessa's makeup bag. "I just saw you with that guy, Jason." She looked at her sister, waiting for her to elaborate on her claim.

Tessa brushed dog hair off her comforter. "Yeah, so?" She questioned. "We were just playing pool."

Ashlee took a silver nail file out of the bag and proceeded to file her fingernails. "Okay, fine." She said, shrugging her shoulders. "If that's all it was..." She looked down at her nails, as though she didn't care any more about the conversation.

"That is all it was." Tessa assured her, sitting on the edge of her bed so that she could watch her sister. "He's my boss, Ash, that's it."

Ashlee continued to file her nails, feigning disinterest. "Okay, fine." She said again. "I just don't understand why you're lying to yourself." She grinned at Tessa.

Tessa pulled a pillow off her bed and swatted her sister in the head; Ashlee laughed and ducked to avoid another blow. "You're such a brat, Ashlee." She said with a smile. "And I am not lying to myself." She sighed. "Jason and I were just playing pool, that's it." She wished she could sound so certain in her head.

Ashlee shrugged and picked up the nail file again. The dog crawled into her lap and attempted to lay down but she pushed him away from her. "Go away, Chili." She commanded and the dog flopped down beside her.

"Chilly?" Tessa repeated. "Why did you name it that?" Ashlee opened her mouth to reply. "Because its fur is white?"

Ashlee shook her head. "No, Chili, like the food." She answered and patted the dog, putting the file back into the makeup bag. She looked at her nails and nodded.

Tessa looked at her sister. "You're so weird." She mumbled, flopped down in bed and shutting off the lamp, plunging the room into darkness.

Ashlee lay down on the quilt her sister had given her, looking up at the ceiling; the dog crawled onto her stomach and she didn't bother to push it away. "Tess, you know that woman, Nicole?" Her sister said she did. "I saw her talking to this guy at the bar tonight."

Tessa waved a dismissive hand in the darkness. "That was probably just her fiancé." She told her sister.

Ashlee sat up, looking through the darkness in Tessa's direction. "They were talking about the hotel." She said. "About making Vincent sell it to Nicole's dad."

Tessa sat up as well, suddenly much more interested in what Ashlee had to say about her least favorite person in Hawaii. "Really? What else did he say?"

Ashlee told her about what she had heard and Tessa listened with interest, trying to figure out if she should tell Jason, or Vincent or just confront Nicole herself and use what her sister said as a sort of blackmail. She decided against the latter, what would be the fun in that? Nicole didn't have anything she wanted anyway. Except it would be nice not to be bossed around by anyone anymore, if _she _was the assistant general manager at the hotel...

"What are you thinking?" Ashlee asked suddenly, startling Tessa out of her thoughts. "You were quite, that means you were thinking about something."

Tessa shook her head, certain that her sister couldn't see her in the darkness. "Nothing." She told her. She lay down again, though now she didn't feel much like sleeping. In the morning, she'd tell Jason what Ashlee had told her and... Suddenly, she wasn't thinking about Nicole at all; why had she decided to tell Jason? Was it just an excuse to talk to him again? No, she decided quickly, she had a better relationship with Jason, that was all.

Ashlee lay down as well and closed her eyes, realizing just how exhausted she was. Before she could drift to sleep, something she hadn't been able to do in days, Tessa's voice caused her to open her eyes again. "Why'd you come here, Ashlee? Is it really that bad at home?"

"Yes." Ashlee answered with a sigh. "I had to leave; you should understand, you left too."

Tessa sighed as well, hearing for the first time just how much Ashlee seemed to blame her for deserting her back in Detroit. There were plenty of things she could have said to her sister at that moment, but none of them came out and she hated herself for that. She and Ashlee had always been close -"Us against the world" Ashlee used to say when they were younger- but sometimes it was too hard to tell her sister just how she understood everything she had gone through. She just hoped Ashlee understood.

"I'm glad you came here." Tessa said instead, unable to keep from thinking just how hollow those words sounded, even if they were true. "I love you, sis. Hawaii just wasn't the same without you."

Ashlee was silent for a moment. "That's because you didn't have anyone to cause trouble with." She remarked and Tessa could tell that the moment had passed. "But I somehow have the feeling that's about to change."

Tessa didn't answer, simply smiled into the darkness.

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Even out of the corner of his eye, Jason could see the sly smile that his best friend and roommate was giving him as she kicked her shoes into the corner of their bungalow style home. He looked over at her and raised an eyebrow. "What?" He questioned, though he wasn't quite sure he wanted to know what was on MJ's mind.

"So, I guess you've finally gotten over Nicole, huh?" MJ remarked and Jason sighed, wondering just what idea MJ had gotten into her head this time.

Jason looked at her, feigning patience. "What makes you think that?" He asked, though all he wanted to do was go to bed and sleep through the remaining hours of the night, which were slowly ticking away.

From his spot on the couch, where he was helping himself to a midnight snack of Frosted Flakes, Frankie smiled at his roommate. "We both saw the way you acted around Tessa." He explained and Jason groaned inwardly. "Hell, everyone in the whole bar saw the way you acted with her."

Jason shook his head immediately, holding up a hand as though hoping to deflect his friend's claims. "I have no idea what you're talking about; Tessa and I were just playing pool." He said, his patience being replaced by weariness. "I'm her boss, she's my employee, end of story."

MJ nodded her head even as she raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Okay, whatever you say." She mumbled, flopping down on the couch beside Frankie. "But you can't deny your feelings forever." She figured if she weren't so tipsy, she could offer better advice.

Jason sighed wearily, and shook his head. "I'm not even going to justify that with a response." He mumbled. "And if there's no more false claims to be made, I'm going to bed."

Neither of his friends stopped him and Jason trudged wearily down the hall toward his bedroom, pausing to study himself in the bathroom mirror. He looked like the same old Jason Matthews, general manager at the Grand Waimea; he figured he'd know if he had suddenly fallen in love.

Besides, it was just completely illogical that he could be in love with Tessa anyway, she was the exact opposite of everything he'd ever wanted in a woman. She was loud, she spoke her mind at all the wrong times -and the right ones-, she didn't have the most savory past, even though she had a good heart and a great smile and those bright chestnut eyes hidden behind her flowing chestnut hair...

Jason sighed, though this time there was no exhaustion in the gesture, just disbelief; there was no way MJ and Frankie could be right because there was absolutely no way that he could ever fall in love with Tessa Lewis. End of story.

Only now, he was beginning to doubt himself.

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"You look nice." Ashlee observed, leaning against the side of the bathroom door and peering at her sister, who was standing in front of the mirror slowly applying mascara. "Hot date today?" She grinned and Tessa paid her no attention. "Oh, that's right, just work with Jason." The grin grew wider.

Tessa didn't look away from her reflection as she reached out and slammed the bathroom door in her sister's face. She wouldn't let herself believe that Ashlee's explanation for why she was spending so much more time on her appearance that morning be the right one. From behind the bathroom door, Ashlee laughed but didn't say anything else, as though her sister's reaction alone was enough to prove that she was one hundred percent right in her claims.

Tessa rolled her eyes, as though she had just realized just how badly Ashlee had missed the mark. So what if she was spending a few extra minutes primping in front of the mirror? She did have an important job at an upscale hotel and it made since to look nice when you were going to work.

Especially when you were working with Jason Matthews.

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Jason straightened his tie as he headed through the perfectly polished doors of the Grand Waimea, checking his suit to be sure that it was free from wrinkles; at least in the beginning hours of his day, he wanted to seem like he had everything together. By mid-morning, something had always come up to make him forget all about keeping everything orderly but that knowledge didn't keep him from at least making sure his tie was on straight.

As he headed through the lobby, Jason's eyes scanned the faces of the guests before him until he found Tessa in the crowd, standing behind the guest relations desk already looking bored. Ashlee was standing beside her, looking as though she were painting her nails and generally slacking off on the duties she wasn't exactly being paid for. Jason headed in their direction, trying to talk himself out of the fact that he were using Ashlee as an excuse to see Tessa.

Ashlee looked up and saw Jason coming their way and, biting down her smile, elbowed Tessa in the ribs. Tessa elbowed her right back and was about to ask her sister just what had gotten into her when she noticed Jason as well. And suddenly, she felt quite nervous, something that she had never really felt before in her life.

Jason stopped in front of the desk and smiled at Tessa; Ashlee went on painting her fingernails, acting as though she didn't notice him or sense the jitters coming from her sister. "Morning Tessa." She smiled at him. Jason turned his attention to Ashlee. "Don't you have rooms to clean?" He questioned.

Ashlee looked up at him, capping the nail polish bottle and blowing on her fingernails. "Nicole's not here yet." She explained. "I have to catch in with her before I can breath if I'm on hotel property apparently."

Jason rolled his eyes but didn't move to object. Instead, he said, "If she's not around in thirty minutes, check in with one of the other maids, they'll let you know what to do." Ashlee sighed and nodded. He turned his attention to Tessa. "So, I was thinking that I deserve a little rematch at the pool table, if you're up for it." He smiled again.

Tessa couldn't help but smile as well, ignoring the not so secretive look that her sister was giving her. "Sure, that is, if you're up to losing again."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "We'll just see about that." He remarked. Tessa rolled her eyes, letting him know that he talked a good game but couldn't deliver. After taking her criticism with a smile on his face, Jason headed off toward Vincent's office, leaving the Lewis sisters to stare after him.

Ashlee looked over at her sister. "I told you that you liked him." She remarked with a knowing grin.

Tessa gave her sister a shove. "Don't start that again." She commanded. "And go away, I have work to do."

"That's right, you have enough of a distraction, thinking about Jason to be bothered with me." Ashlee remarked, ducking away from her sister before Tessa could swat at her. She headed into the lobby, grinning at Tessa as though she knew something that the older girl didn't.

Tessa rolled her eyes. "You're such a brat, Ashlee." She called after the girl. "Grow up, we're not in middle school."

Ashlee just smiled and disappeared down a hallway, heading for the elevators, leaving Tessa feeling like an idiot for shouting across the lobby, noticing that several of the guests had stopped to stare at her.

Feeling her cheeks redden slightly, Tessa returned her attention to the computer screen in front of her, which showed her nothing of importance. Still, she couldn't help but wonder why she couldn't take her own advice; she wasn't in middle school anymore, it didn't do any good to deny it if you had feelings for anyone. So...why couldn't she just come out and say just how she felt about Jason?

_Because you _don't _have feelings toward Jason, _Tessa told herself promptly. _End of story. _


	6. Chapter Six

__

Wow, thanks for all the reviews, I never thought this story would be so popular. The Tessa and Jason run-around is coming to an end, since they deserve to be a couple (just like in the show! Take that Nicole...sorry, just a little excited). As for the reviewer who said they wished Amanda was back on The O.C. _so do I; maybe Hailey will make another appearance. Anyway, thanks for all the great review and keep them up, it means a lot!_

Chapter Six

Ashlee had developed a new found hatred for something and that something was the bungalow. Sure, it looked nice on the outside and she was certain they were nice places to stay at or even live in but you developed a new sense of perspective when you had to clean them. Frankly, Ashlee didn't think she'd be too broken hearted if all the bungalows at the Grand Waimea suddenly exploded.

And those were her current thoughts as she pushed her maids cart down the sidewalk, hot and exhausted, her uniform sticking to her skin and smelling like bleach. At least she could clean the air conditioned rooms and get out of the Hawaii heat; didn't it ever drop below ninety degrees out here?

Ashlee could have cursed aloud when the front wheel of her cart suddenly stopped spinning, bumping over something and nearly flipping the entire cart onto its side. With a sigh, she headed toward the front of the cart and knelt beside the right wheel, inspecting it closely. Instead of a rock lodged beneath the wheel, what she found was a brown leather wallet, smelling and looking brand new, straight out of the pockets of a guest too rich to even notice it was missing.

Standing up, Ashlee slipped the wallet into her pockets; it might make her look a little more savory in Nicole's eyes if she returned the wallet before the guest even had a chance to report it missing. That way, she'd appear trustworthy to Vincent and take some of the stress of Tessa.

Returning to the back of her cart, Ashlee resumed pushing it down the sidewalk, heading for the employee entrance and the air conditioning that lay beyond.

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Tessa was trying to ignore Nicole's presence as the brunette stepped behind the counter, shooting her a glare full of venom. For a moment, it appeared as though Nicole had actually come behind the counter to do something business related, but that facade soon vanished when she turned in Tessa's direction.

"Late night last night?" Nicole questioned, sounding slightly cordial and Tessa shrugged her shoulders. So had other things on her mind then making small talk with someone like Nicole Booth. "Look, I saw you with Jason." Her voice became rocky and even threatening, but Tessa had heard much worse.

Tessa rolled her eyes. "Then you saw that we were playing pool." She pointed out and Nicole continued to stare at her. "He's really good at it, we're playing again tonight." Tessa knew that adding that little tidbit wasn't the smartest thing she could have done, but, when had she ever done the smart thing?

Nicole seemed, for a moment, taken aback by her words; then, it seemed to Tessa, that she remembered that she was pretending to be the tough girl as opposed to the rich bitch, and stepped closer to her. "Look, Jason's a friend of mine so you'd better keep your slutty hands off of him." She narrowed her eyes. "If you know what's good for you."

Tessa couldn't keep herself from laughing in Nicole's face. "Is that supposed to scare me?" She questioned. "Because, let me tell you, I've heard a hell of a lot worse from people that could do a hell of a lot worse." Now it was her turn to narrow her eyes. "So keep your nose out of Jason's business and mine."

Once Nicole seemed to recover from the shock that developed from Tessa's words, she cleared her throat. "You have no right to speak to me that way." She snapped and Tessa rolled her eyes. "Listen to me, Tessa, I can get you fired from here so fast your head will spin and have your sister on the first plane back home to whatever hell you come from, so I suggest you watch your step."

Tessa's gaze settled on Nicole and didn't waver for a second. "And you have no idea what I can do to you, princess." Nicole didn't falter. "So, if you're done with these _90210 _threats, I have work to do."

Nicole remained silent, her mouth suddenly dry, unable to force any words past her lips; for some reason, everything about Tessa at that moment made her shudder and she hated herself for it. If she couldn't stand up to street trash like Tessa Lewis, then how was she supposed to stand up to anyone?

Tessa stared at Nicole for a moment longer, as though making sure that her words sunk in, before turning back to face the lobby of the hotel. A part of her was relieved when she saw a portly man in need of a tan heading toward the desk, a fact that would force Nicole to keep any more juvenile threats to herself. She wasn't afraid of Nicole, she'd faced a lot worse back in Detroit and lived to tell the tale, but she didn't doubt it when the brunette said that she'd send Ashlee home. And Tessa wasn't quite sure her sister could stand up against anything worse in her own home.

As the man got closer, Tessa could easily see that the man was irate and she forced her biggest 'may I help you?' smile on her face. But before she could get the words out of her mouth, the man began speaking. "My wallet is gone." He exclaimed and got Nicole's attention as well. "My wallet has been stolen at _your _hotel and I want an explanation!"

"Calm down, sir." Tessa began with a sigh. "Tell me exactly what happened."

The man didn't look as though he were going to take her advice. "I'll tell you what happened," he snapped, "one minute I was having a drink on the beach and the next thing I know, my wallet's been stolen. Snatched right out of my pocket."

Tessa felt herself tense up, hating every moment of it, and glanced at Nicole out of the corner of her eye. It wasn't difficult to guess what the other woman was thinking: that Ashlee was the one to blame. Without giving Nicole the benefit of seeing the doubt in her own eyes, Tessa looked back at the man. "Are you sure it was stolen, sir?" She questioned. "Perhaps you left it in your room."

The man glared at her, not too pleased by her insinuation. "I know it was stolen, I already checked the dresser in my bungalow."

Nicole crossed her arms over her chest, Ashlee's guilt certain in her mind; she had sent the teenager to clean the bungalows hours ago. Everything was adding up too nicely, as far as she was concerned; maybe, with any luck, she could get both girls fired.

Tessa was about to urge the guest to calm down once more when the door behind the guest relations guest, the exit of all the employee entrances on the bottom floor of the hotel, opened and Ashlee stepped out. Tessa almost groaned, silently urging her sister to retreat before Nicole could pounce but Ashlee didn't seem to get the message. "Hey, Tess," said the younger girl, smiling at her sister and just as chipper as always. "I..." she trailed off when she saw Nicole glaring at her and the angry man before her sister. "What's going on?"

Nicole didn't waste any time. "Ashlee, let me see what's in your pockets." She commanded and Tessa felt herself tense up once more. She wanted to believe that her sister was innocent, the only person at the whole hotel that had never done anything wrong, and she felt like she was betraying Ashlee by thinking something different.

Ashlee studied her closely. "What?" She questioned. "Why?" She looked over at Tessa with a look that was more worried then suspicious.

Tessa attempted to offer her sister a reassuring smile. "Just do it, Ash." She prompted. Once again, she felt guilty for praying that her sister's pockets would turn up empty.

Ashlee stuck her hands into her front pockets, which turned up empty; however, when she reached into her jeans pocket, beneath her uniform, she retrieved the leather wallet she had found earlier. Tessa closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, almost unwilling to see the look on Nicole's face.

As soon as Nicole snatched the wallet away from her, Ashlee began to put the pieces together; the man behind the counter had surely reported his wallet missing and here she was, caught red handed. She looked over at Tessa, but her sister was staring at the ground with her eyes closed, mentally counting to ten, something she did whenever she was attempting to gain control of a situation.

"Is this your wallet, sir?" Nicole questioned as she opened it, checking the driver's license. The man nodded and snatched it away from her before she could check the rest of the contents. "Is there anything missing."

Ashlee's eyes grew wide. "I didn't take anything out of it." She defended, looking away from Nicole and at the man, who nodded in agreement. "I didn't steal his wallet, either."

Nicole looked at the younger girl, narrowing her eyes. "Well, would you like to explain how it got into your pocket?" She questioned, crossing her arms again and raising an eyebrow, interested in hearing just what Ashlee was going to say.

"I found it, on the sidewalk, when I was cleaning." Ashlee explained and Tessa looked up, opening her eyes and glancing at her sister. Ashlee looked at her sister, pleading her to listen, begging for some sort of understanding, but, for the moment, she got none. "I didn't take it, I swear." This was spoken to Nicole, who just looked away.

The man put his wallet back into his pocket. "I want something to be done about this girl." He told Nicole. "How can you let a criminal work at your hotel? Who knows how many other wallets have been stolen." He glared at Ashlee, who looked back.

Nicole nodded promptly. "I assure you, sir, that appropriate actions will be taken." She grabbed Ashlee roughly by the elbow and jerked her away from Tessa. "I'll make sure this girl is fired this second." Ashlee's eyes grew wide.

Satisfied, the man nodded and, deciding that witnessing the firing out a teenage employee would take time away from his surfing lesson, heading toward the beach entrance of the Grand Waimea.

"We're going to see Vincent right now." Nicole snapped, jerking Ashlee again, pulling her out from behind the desk.

Ashlee tried to pull away. "I already told you, I didn't take his wallet." She protested, but Nicole wouldn't listen or let go. She looked back at her sister. "Tess, I didn't take it." She looked her sister in the eye.

For a moment, Tessa remained where she was, staring at her younger sister, the girl that had never once lied to her, before hurrying after them. "Nicole, let go of her." She commanded, taking Nicole by the wrist and forcing her to stop short.

Nicole pulled away from Tessa, letting go of Ashlee. "Don't ever touch me again." She commanded, her voice low. "If I had my way, you'd be out on your ass too." Tessa just glared at her.

Pushing Ashlee forward, Nicole headed toward the hallway which led to Vincent's office; Tessa followed close behind, hoping to be able to appeal to Vincent since Nicole wasn't too inclined to listen.

Before Nicole swiped her security card, the door to the hallway opened and Jason stepped out, though he stopped before he got more then two steps. His attention settled on Tessa, something that didn't escape Nicole's attention. "What's going on?" He questioned.

"Ashlee stole a guest's wallet." Nicole answered before Tessa could even open her mouth. "I'm going to make sure that she's on the first plane back home."

Jason looked over at Ashlee, who stared up at him. "Is that true?" He questioned. "Did you steal it?" It was as though he wanted to make sure that Ashlee knew exactly what he was asking.

"No." Ashlee answered without hesitation. "I already told Nicole that but she wouldn't listen to me."

Jason once again looked at Tessa, noting that her eyes hadn't left him the entire time; he could read something in her eyes then, something he had never seen before, even when she was begging for a job: the need for his help. And for that moment, she looked just as helpless as anyone else he'd known, the tough exterior she had built around herself over the years crumbling within seconds. "We'll talk to Vincent, see if we can't get this straightened out." Jason suggested.

Nicole glared at him. "There's nothing to straighten out, Jason." She snapped. "The wallet was found in her pocket, end of story."

Ashlee shook her head. "That is not true." Jason, Tessa and Nicole both looked in her direction. "Well, _that _part is true but I didn't take it; I already told you, I found it on the sidewalk."

Jason held the door open for the girls before following after them, walking down the hallway toward Vincent's office, which he had only left moments before. Vincent looked up from the paper work in front of him, seeming surprised to see Jason again, but not at all shocked to see Nicole pushing Ashlee ahead of her. "What's happened now?" He questioned, looking at Ashlee with a look that said he already believed in her guilt, whether it was a just belief or not.

"Ashlee stole a wallet from one of the guests." Nicole explained, though she didn't sound as venomous now, clearly trying to make a perfect impression in front of Vincent. "I'm sure it's not over-stepping my boundaries by suggesting that she be fired and sent home."

Vincent narrowed his eyes, his glare settling on Ashlee. "I told you what would happen if you made the slightest mistake, Ashlee, I told you that." He said gravely, as though he were firing someone he knew for longer then a day and a half. "And Nicole's right, you should be sent back home."

Ashlee's eyes went wide. "But sir, I didn't steal that wallet." She defended, feeling like one of those cartoon characters that run off a cliff, and can only stay hanging in the air if they don't look down. Well, she was certainly looking down now. "I found it on the sidewalk by the bungalows."

For a moment, there was nothing but silence and Tessa wondered if it was like this in a court room before the judge read off the jury's final verdict. She couldn't keep herself from looking over at Jason, who was, to her surprise, already looking in her direction; he offered her a slight smile, as though protesting the benevolence of their dictator.

It wasn't the first time in his career that Vincent had been forced to fire someone, whether or not they deserved it and he knew it wasn't going to be the last. And it was that fact alone that kept him from sympathizing with the youngest Lewis girl; sometimes, things had to be done, end of story. "Ashlee, I can't take the chance of this happening again. The Grand Waimea is one of the most prodigious hotels in the United States. The only way we can stay that way is if the employees that break the rules are fired."

"But I didn't break the rules!" Ashlee cried. "I didn't do anything wrong! I didn't take that wallet!"

Vincent held up a hand to silence her. "Whether you took it or not doesn't matter." He said. "I'll make flight arrangements and have you on the red-eye home."

Ashlee whirled to face Tessa and the look the older girl saw on her sister's face nearly broke her heart; it was a look she had seen many times before, many nights before, when she was the one and only person Ashlee had to turn to. "Sir," Tessa said, stepping toward the desk. "You can't do that. You can't send her home." Vincent looked at her. "I'll be her guardian, I'll take care of her; fire her, I don't care, but don't send her home."

Vincent glared at her for a moment. "It's not my job to get mixed up in family problems, Tessa." He said, his voice beginning to show signs of strain, making it obvious he was finished dealing with the questions at hand. "Listen to me-"

"No, you listen to me." Tessa commanded, stepping close enough to the desk so that her hips were brushing against the sides. Jason grabbed her elbow, as though he expected her to try and go further then she already had.

Vincent got to his feet. "Don't take that tone with me, Miss Lewis." He commanded, narrowing his eyes. "One more outburst like that and you'll be joining your sister. What I say is final, I don't have to stand her debating or defending myself to you."

Tessa opened her mouth again but Jason tugged her back, resting his hand on her shoulder and she fell silent. Nicole looked over at her ex and narrowed her eyes, not liking how chummy he appeared to be getting with Tessa; at that moment, she would have liked nothing more then to see Tessa fired.

"Don't worry, Vincent." Jason said on Tessa's behalf. "They'll be no more outbursts." He didn't look over at the woman beside him as he spoke, his hand remaining on her arm.

Vincent looked at Jason for a moment before nodding. "You're dismissed." He said to Tessa, Jason and Nicole. "But you're staying here with me." This was spoken to Ashlee. "I'll be your escort to the airport this evening."

Ashlee turned and gave one final look in her sister's direction, pleading silently for the help that wasn't able to be given. She knew there was nothing Tessa could do, no way to make her story creditable when no one wanted to believe her. She was the cartoon character that had looked down, still surprised to see that there was no ground beneath her feet.


	7. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Night had fallen before Tessa even realized that the afternoon had passed and when she finally looked up from the computer in front of her, she was almost surprised to see nothing but twilight past the glass windows in the lobby. Couples were coming and going, walking arm and arm with smiles on their faces, off to some romantic destination or other without a care in the world. Just for once in her life, Tessa wished she knew what it felt like to be that happy.

With a weary sigh, Tessa's attention returned to the computer screen, squinting her eyes to bring the words on the screen into better focus. She'd been staring at the monitor for the better part of the day and it was beginning to take a toil on her eyesight. But that was a worry for another time.

The folder she had pulled up on the screen now was useless and Tessa clicked out if it; it seemed that everything she had was useless. With a strained sigh, she buried her head in her hands and closed her eyes, something she hadn't allowed herself to do since Vincent had escorted her baby sister out of the hotel on the way to the airport. A part of her wanted to cry, realizing the hopelessness of the whole situation, but Tessa Lewis did not cry.

Before she could lift her head and resume her search, a gentle hand fell on her shoulder, causing Tessa to tense in surprise. She opened her eyes and looked behind her, surprised to see Jason standing, with his hand still on her shoulder. "Hey," he greeted, though he looked a little confused. "Why aren't you at the airport?"

Tessa sighed again, it seemed like that was all she was doing lately. "I'm trying to find security footage for the area outside the bungalows." She explained, though she knew that wasn't a good enough excuse for leaving her sister alone before she was going home. A part of her still believed that she'd find something, _anything_, to prove Ashlee's innocence.

Jason studied her for a moment. "Why?" He questioned, even though the answer was evident. "Do you really think Ashlee's telling the truth?" He wasn't sure it was the right question to ask Tessa, wanting her to defend the innocence of her closest family member but somehow it slipped out. "I mean, how do you know she didn't steal the wallet? She already stole those room keys."

Tessa looked at him, their eyes locking. "It's not always that simple, Jason." She told him simply, as though those words were the answer to all of his questions. "Just because she stole those keys doesn't mean she stole the wallet." She returned her attention to the computer screen, which had yet to yield promising results.

Jason found that he couldn't take his eyes off of her and he managed to convince himself that it was simply because he wanted to read her expressions. "How do you know?"

Tessa's eyes didn't leave the computer screen. "Because Ashlee wouldn't lie to me."

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Nicole wasn't quite sure why she was sitting at the Tiki style bar that serviced guests of her grand hotel thinking about Ashlee Lewis but somehow, she was. Her fingers tapped incessantly on the slick surface of the bar as she sat, ignoring the rum and Coke she had ordered only moments earlier, her mind elsewhere.

When MJ sat in the empty chair beside her, Nicole didn't even look up, eyes focused at some invisible sight miles away. "Tough day?" MJ questioned sympathetically, looking at the brunette.

Nicole sighed, dejected. "You could say that." She mumbled, finally looking over at the blonde waitress. "Have you ever jumped to conclusions, maybe made a mistake about something really important?"

MJ was silent for a moment, thinking about her question and all that it entailed. "Sure." She answered finally. "Everyone makes mistakes like that sometimes." Nicole didn't say anything. "Why?"

Another sigh escaped Nicole's lips as she turned so that she could face MJ without turning her head. "A guest reported his wallet missing and it turned up in Ashlee's pocket." She answered and MJ's eyes went wide. "She kept insisting that she wasn't the one that stole the wallet but..." She shrugged, helplessly.

MJ chewed on the corner of her bottom lip. "Maybe she didn't do it." She remarked and Nicole shrugged again. That was the thought that had been running circles through her mind a lot lately. "It doesn't seem like something Ashlee would do." She seemed to believe those words, even though she had only known Ashlee for two days.

"She's already stolen from the hotel though." Nicole reminded. "The room keys, remember?" She was certain that someone had relayed the story to the waitress.

MJ nodded and offered Nicole a faint smile. "Guilty until proven innocent, huh?" She questioned.

Nicole didn't say anything, thinking about MJ's words; maybe she had a point, maybe she should have let Ashlee give her the whole story. But there hadn't been any time for that, action needed to be taken right then and she had done so, even if it wasn't the right action. "Right." She mumbled. "But I don't think Ashlee's going to be able to prove herself innocent."

The women fell silent, Nicole's words hanging between them, drown out only by the surf.

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"I can give you a hand, if you'd like." Jason offered and before Tessa could even process his words, he gently nudged her out of the way and hit several buttons of the keyboard. Tessa watched silently, more then relieved to have both his help and his company. "You couldn't find the security footage because it's only accessible to the employees with access to all drives on the computer." Jason explained as he put in a password.

With the password in place, a folder that Tessa hadn't come across filled the computer screen, with links labeled with different dates and times. She stepped closer to Jason, so that their elbows and hips bumped together in order to get a better look at the screen. "Is that the security footage for the entire hotel?" She questioned. If it was, then she'd finally be able to get the truth behind Ashlee's claims.

Jason nodded. "Yep, organized by date and time." Though that much was clear.

Tessa looked up at him, a faint smile spreading across her lips. "Thanks a lot Jason." She told him, hoping that those simple words were enough to convey just how grateful she was to him.

"Don't thank me yet." Jason told her. "We still haven't found what you're looking for."

Tessa looked back at the computer; she had no idea when the man had lost his wallet, and there were mountains of footage to go through before he had reported it missing. She sighed; Ashlee didn't have time for her to go through piles of information.

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Ashlee wasn't quite sure why Vincent was being so nice to her, though it wasn't as though she considered offering to buy her a soda being the perfect charming but it was certainly a nice gesture and one that she couldn't understand. After the older man made his offer, she looked over at him and raised an eyebrow. "You don't have to be nice to me." She told him.

Vincent sat down on a cushioned chair in the middle of the crowded airport and looked straight ahead. He had never had any younger brothers or sisters, no children, no nieces, no nephews, no cousins and no experience with teenagers and was, therefore, unsure of just how to act around Ashlee. Even though he was tossing her out of his life and his hotel in a matter of hours, waiting for her flight to get in was making him uncomfortable. Sure, he could handle irate guests, bitchy rich women and pompous magazine editors, but Vincent couldn't even look at his former teenage employee and figure out what to say to her. "I thought you might be thirsty." He said finally. "It was just an offer."

Ashlee sighed and looked away from him. "I know." She mumbled. "But you don't have to be nice, it doesn't matter."

Vincent watched her out of the corner of his eye. "It's not my fault you're going home, Ashlee, just remember that." He snapped, his temper getting the better of him as it always seemed to do. It was one of his bad qualities, so what, it had often served him well in the past.

"I already told you, I didn't take that wallet." Ashlee said, though she had long since given up on putting any emotion behind those words. No one was going to listen to her anyway, there was no use. She looked at him again, trying to catch his eye but unable to do so. "Please don't send me home."

Vincent didn't even glance her way, unwilling to see the reason behind those words, the secret that both Ashlee and Tessa seemed so dedicated to keeping, whether there really was one or not. "I don't have a choice, Ashlee." He said finally, watching the crowds in front of him.

Ashlee sighed and slumped in her seat. In a handful of hours, she was going to be leaving Hawaii behind and any chance she had of escaping.

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"This is useless." Tessa mumbled, dropping her head so that her forehead thudding on the surface of the desk in front of her. She wished that her words weren't true, but there didn't seem to be anyway around them. She and Jason had been sitting in front of the computer for nearly an hour and had still yet to find anything on the security feed that could help Ashlee in any way. "I hate this." Tessa lifted her head and dropped it again.

Jason looked over at the brunette and caught her forehead before she knocked it against the desk again. Tessa remained for a moment with her head in his hands, before swallowing and looking up at him. Jason suddenly found himself uncomfortable, but in the way that he used to get when he was a pre-teenager, sitting in the movies with some girl he had a crush on, unsure of how to react. Tessa's eyes met his for a moment before he looked away, staring down at the floor.

Tessa felt her cheeks get rosy and she turned her attention back to the computer screen, though there was little to see other then an empty sidewalk and some sand. She could feel Jason watching her and she wasn't surprised to find that she liked his attention, enjoyed the way it felt to know that she was being watched by him. She wanted to turn around again, wanted to say something to him but no words would come out and so she remained silent.

Jason cleared his throat and tried to pay attention to the security footage. But there was little to see and his eyes were slowly drifting back toward Tessa before he pulled them away again, trying to think about something, anything, other then how beautiful she was. Tessa was his employee after all; it wouldn't do any good to get involved with someone he worked with.

"You're right." Jason said suddenly, forcing himself to speak to get his mind off Tessa. She looked at him over her shoulder. "It's useless." He gestured toward the computer screen. "It's going to take hours to go through all this."

Tessa sighed. "Ashlee doesn't have hours." She reminded. "It's probably too late anyway." It killed her to think that way, though she was slowly believing that there was no other way to think. Ashlee was counting on her and she had let her down.

Jason checked his watch. "We've still go time." He assured her and Tessa was touched by how sincere his offer to help her had been. It seemed as though he actually cared what happened to her little sister.

Tessa smiled at him and returned her attention to the computer screen. She saw Ashlee on the footage, pushing the huge maids' cart in front of her and the sight of her sister, at the moment so carefree and almost happy, made her want to cry. Jason rested his hand on her shoulder once again but she didn't turn around to see the look in his eyes.

"You and Ashlee were really close, huh?" Jason questioned and Tessa nodded. "I never had any brothers or sisters, it must have been nice."

Tessa smiled faintly. "It was." She told him. "We always got along well, we had to depend on each other."

Jason watched the back of her head, wishing that Tessa would turn around and allow him to read the emotions in her hazel eyes. But he figured that she had spent a lifetime keeping those emotions a secret from people like him. "You had a hard time growing up, didn't you?" Tessa remained silent. Jason sighed, and looked away from her for a moment. "Sorry, it's none of my business." Tessa's life before now wasn't something easily found in background checks, stuff that she had obviously been struggling to put behind her.

Tessa sighed as well. "My parents are alcoholics, they always have been and my mom's addicted to every drug you can name." She kept her back to Jason as she spoke, as though unwilling to see the look in his eyes. He liked the woman she had become and she couldn't bare to know what he would think of her now. "My dad taught Ashlee and I how to break into buildings; he raised me to be his little con artist and Ashlee to be his pick-pocket. He was such an asshole, he made us steal for him so that he and my mom could afford their little vices."

Jason's eyes never left Tessa's reflection in the computer screen, his mouth dry and silent, knowing full well that there were no words that could be said at a moment like this. If Tessa wanted to tell him her story, then he sure as hell was going to listen.

"It used to kill me, seeing him use Ashlee like that, making her steal from people who thought she was this adorable little kid." Tessa continued. "But whenever I said anything, all I got was a bruise and black eye to show for my trouble." She sighed, shaking her head. "He hit Ashlee too, still does."

Jason was silent for a moment. "That's why she came here." He said finally and Tessa didn't make any move to respond. "That's why you don't want her to go home."

"She hates me, you know, on some level she hates me." Tessa said, her shoulders dropping. "I ran away, I got out and she didn't and she hates me. And now I can't even keep her from going back."

Jason took Tessa's hand, an action that surprised her and caused her to turn and face him; he saw tears threatening to fall onto her cheeks and she quickly blinked them away, as though she didn't want him to see such a sign of weakness. He continued to hold her hand, and Tessa curled her fingers around his. "Listen to me," Jason said, finally managing to look her in the eye. "Your sister doesn't hate you, and whatever happened to her you had no control over." Tessa held his stare. "It's a good thing you left, before your father did worse. I mean, you're still an amazing, beautiful woman and-" He stopped then, silenced by Tessa's lips against his.

Tessa had never planned on kissing Jason Matthews; in fact, since she had arrived at the Grand Waimea weeks ago, she had been working hard to keep from kissing him. Work relationships -hell, any relationships- never worked out and it was best to keep those feelings hidden and so she had decided that things wouldn't go any farther then him being her employer. And so, she had never planned on kissing Jason.

But when he had said those things to her, words that she had never heard anyone say about her before, Tessa couldn't help herself; every part of her was screaming for her to kiss him, and so she did. Hell, she had never been good at keeping plans anyway.

For a moment, Jason was surprised by her actions but the surprise vanished quickly and he returned the kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her against him. He didn't think any good to admit that all he had been thinking about the past few days was this moment, didn't want to do anything to stop the kiss and so he closed his eyes and kept his mouth shut. For the moment anyway.

Tessa kissed him unlike she had ever kissed a man in her life, because there was no con she was trying to work, no secret she was trying to keep. There was no game to play. For the first time in her life, she was kissing someone because she wanted to. And, boy, was she glad she had decided to kiss Jason.

One of Jason's hands trailed up Tessa's back and he ran his fingers through her thick curls, sending it falling in crazy angles against her cheeks and down her back. He opened her eyes to study her for a moment, a stolen moment, amazed at just how beautiful she was.

And it was in that moment that Jason's eyes traveled past Tessa's face and to the computer monitor behind her. He broke the kiss then, pulling away, though his hand was still wrapped in her curls and gave his attention to the monitor.

Tessa opened her eyes when Jason pulled away from her, confused as to way the kiss had been broken; she saw him staring past her and turned to follow his gaze, careful not to shake his hand from her waist.

The security footage on the computer screen was of the man that had made his compliant about his stolen wallet hours ago, walking down the sidewalk with a drink in one hand and his wallet in the other. As Tessa and Jason watched, the man moved to stick his wallet in his pocket, but the wallet fell short and landed on the sidewalk. He continued walking, the fallen wallet unnoticed.

Tessa's eyes went wide. "That's it." She said, breathless because of the kiss. "Ashlee didn't steal his wallet after all." She looked at Jason with a smile on her face.

Jason couldn't resist giving her a quick kiss on the forehead as he took her hand, pulling her away from the desk. "We have to catch Vincent before Ashlee's flight takes off."

Her hand still in his, Tessa followed him out of the lobby and toward the employee parking garage, her mind still on their kiss. She knew that the joy of finding out that her sister was innocent wasn't the only reason her heart was pounding.

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Ashlee was staring down at her feet, swinging her legs so that her toes bumping against the tiles beneath her. Vincent's gaze was still focused on the crowds ahead, watching people carrying luggage move from place to place, two security guards gossiping close to the Starbucks and a janitor mopping the floor in front of them.

A silence had settled between them and had been that way for nearly an hour and half and Vincent wished that the plane would arrive. He didn't think he'd ever been this quiet in his life and hoped that he never would be again. It was just unsettling.

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Tessa had leapt out of the car even before Jason had hit the brake when he pulled up in front of the air port entranced marked _departing flights_. Jason followed after her, snatching the keys out of the ignition and ignoring the sign that marked the area a no parking zone.

Jason just barely managed to catch up with Tessa when they hit the security check-point, where one of the security guards was asking Tessa if she had a ticket or permission to be in the airport beyond this point.

"I don't have a god-damn ticket." Tessa snapped. "But I really need to get to someone, it's an emergency." She attempted to push past the man but he grabbed her arms and forced her back again.

Jason attempted to talk the man into letting at least one of them through but the guard couldn't be swayed. Behind them, people waiting to have their luggage screened started to complain, which only made the security guard more adamant about getting Tessa and Jason out the way.

Tessa cursed under her breath, looking for a way around the man, feeling utterly helpless for the moment. If she missed catching Ashlee and Vincent because of this jack-ass then there was going to be some serious Hell to pay.

"Ma'am, sir, please step away." The guard was saying, attempting to nudge Tessa away from him. "You're holding out the line."

Tessa looked up at him. "Screw this." She snapped and ducked away from him, hopping onto the slow traveling belt that moved the luggage through the scanner and crawled through the hooded metal screener.

Jason was surprised by her actions for a moment, but his shock was slowly replaced by amusement. Tessa appeared on the other side, stumbling off the belt and shaking her head, as though trying to clear her thoughts, before she took off running again. The security guard turned and hurried after her, shouting commands that fell on deaf ears.

After a moment's pause, Jason ran after them, aware that several other security guards were preparing to join in on the chase. Tessa was running without bothering to glance over her shoulder, ignoring the man as he threatened to arrest her if she didn't stop that instant.

Tessa's eyes fell on Ashlee, who was preparing to board her flight and Vincent, who was making sure that she did. Thank God, she wasn't too late. "Ashlee!" She shouted, though in the noise of the airport her sister didn't hear her. "Ashlee!"

Jason started shouting as well, though from several yards behind her, calling his boss' name; Tessa called out for her sister again, this time getting a response. Ashlee and Vincent looked over at her, surprised to see her.

Tessa was about to shout out for them to wait when she slipped on the newly mopped tile floor and crashed to the ground, knocking the janitor's bucket over with her and soaking herself with muddy water. The security guard that had been chasing her tried to stop and yank Tessa to her feet and make an arrest -something he had been dying to do ever since he had decided to become a cop in the fourth grade- but his shoes had no traction on the soapy floor and he fell as well.

Ashlee stepped out of line and headed over to where her sister lay on the ground, Vincent following after her. Jason arrived moments later, carefully kneeling beside Tessa, who looked both dazed and confused, still laying with her cheek against the wet tile.

"What is going on here?" Vincent questioned, his gaze settling on Jason. "Would you care to tell me what this is all about, Jason?"

Jason helped Tessa into a sitting position, smiling slightly when she rested her head against his chest and looked at his boss. "Ashlee didn't steal that guest's wallet." He explained.

"We have security footage." Tessa mumbled, gently prodding the side of her head which had taken the brunt of the fall. The headache she was going to have in the morning was going to be a hell of a lot worse then a hangover.

Ashlee smiled and looked over at Vincent for a moment before returning her attention to Jason and Tessa, figuring 'I told you so' wasn't the smartest thing to say at the moment. Vincent remained silent until Jason had helped Tessa stand and the security guard had gotten to his feet as well. Tessa figured if the man's ass and pride hadn't been so hurt, he would have insisted on making an arrest instead of limping back toward the front of the airport.

"What's this about security footage?" Vincent questioned, looking at Jason, as though he were the only reliable source.

Jason explained that he and Tessa had come across footage of the man losing his wallet on the sidewalk, just as Ashlee had said hours earlier. After a moment, Vincent agreed to go back to the Grand Waimea and watch the security tapes, giving Ashlee the benefit of the doubt just because the man that had become like a son to him insisted that was the only thing to do.

Ashlee smiled at Tessa as they started walking toward the entrance of the airport once more. The fact that Jason had his arm wrapped around her sister's waist didn't escape her attention but she decided to keep silent about that for now, since there were more important things to speak of. "Thanks Tess." She said. "For believing me."

Tessa returned the smile, taking her sister's hand and giving it a squeeze. "No problem kiddo." She smiled. They locked eyes and, for that moment, nothing more needed to be said.


	8. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Out of the corner of his eye, Jason watched the orange glow of the street lights on the sides of the highway wash across Tessa's face, turning her skin a waxy orange that somehow still managed to be beautiful. Though he wasn't surprised; everything about Tessa was beautiful. She sat in the passenger seat of his car, her head leaned against the window beside her, rubbing the spot on her forehead where she had hit the tile floor earlier.

"Are you all right?" Jason questioned, his attention shifting from the road ahead to Tessa beside him. "Maybe you should go to a hospital, you might have a concussion."

Tessa shivered. "I hate hospitals." She mumbled. "Besides, I don't think I have a concussion, just a really bad headache."

From the backseat of Jason's car, where Ashlee was stretched out pretending to be asleep, she rolled her eyes; just what did her sister think a concussion was anyway? But she didn't say anything, didn't want to let Tessa and Jason know that she was watching them because she didn't want to interrupt the worried looks Jason was giving Tessa or the sweet smiles she was giving him. It seemed as though her sister had finally admitted her feelings for the general manager of the Grand Waimea.

"Well," Jason continued, "if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." He returned her gentle smile, which only caused Tessa's to grow larger.

Ashlee smiled and shut her eyes once more, listening to the sound of the car beneath her and her sister's voice, sounding, for the first time in her life, genuinely happy.

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It was well past midnight when Jason finally dropped Tessa and her sister off at their apartment and Tessa's exhaustion was starting to kick in. No more late nights for a while, that was for sure. Ashlee yawned and flopped onto her makeshift bed on the floor, pressing her face against her pillow and ignoring the tiny white dog as it barked and jumped on her back. All she wanted to do was go to sleep, end of story.

Tessa felt the same way, tossing her house keys onto the coffee table and dropping into her bed without bothering to change out of her clothes. She was too tired to care that she smelled like soapy water and Lysol, she'd deal with that in the morning.

Ashlee rolled onto her back and didn't push Chili aside when he climbed onto her stomach and made himself comfortable; she stared up at the ceiling for a moment, tracing the grooves and water-stains with her eyes. Finally, she said, "You kissed Jason, didn't you?"

Tessa's eyes opened, but she didn't move from where she had her face pressed into the fabric of her pillow. "What makes you say that?" She questioned finally, though she was just as tired as her sister when it came to pretending that she didn't like Jason. They had kissed, their feelings were out there, the deed was done and it was beginning to yield pleasing results.

"You had the first-kiss smile on your face in the car." Ashlee answered, her eyes flicking in Tessa's direction, but she couldn't see her sister from where she lay. And she was too tired to move in order to see the look on Tessa's face.

Tessa sighed and closed her eyes again, rolling so that her entire face was buried in her worn pillow. "Yeah, we kissed." She told her sister. Ashlee smiled and she could tell that Tessa was smiling as well.

Nothing more was said at the moment, because the girls drifted off to sleep shortly after Tessa's confession. That night, the only thoughts in Tessa's sleeping mind were of Jason.

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Nicole had Ashlee washing the windows in the lobby of the Grand Waimea when Jason arrived the next morning and noted, instantly, that the area before him was slightly more crowded then he was used to seeing it. The Grand Waimea had its moments of over-crowding and over-booking and those times were usually triggered by a massive party checking in. But, as far as he knew, there were no large parties arriving any time soon.

Ashlee was rubbing a soapy cloth against the glass pane for what appeared to be the hundredth time with Nicole lording over her, silently reminding her not to miss a spot. Jason headed in their direction, intrigued as to whether the assistant general manager would know about the sudden onslaught of guests.

Nicole looked up when Jason approached and he could see Ashlee noting him out of the corner of her eye, as though too leery of Nicole's presence to give her attention to anything but window washing. "Good morning Jason." Nicole said with a chipper-ness that she clearly didn't feel. "I was wondering when you'd get here. Late night?" She raised an eyebrow.

Jason shrugged his shoulders. "Sort of." He answered, not quite sure how it was any of her business anyway.

"So I've noticed." Nicole muttered, shooting a very pointed glance Ashlee's way. "Out crusading for the guilty again." Jason wasn't quite sure that last part was meant to be heard but either way, he chose to ignore it.

Ashlee finished scrubbing her spot and dunked her rag into the bucket filled with soapy water set beside her, acting as though she didn't notice when some of the water slopped onto Nicole's shoes. When the brunette groaned indignantly and stepped aside, Ashlee simply pursed her lips to hide a smile and went back to polishing the windows.

Jason looked at Nicole. "What's with the crowd?" He questioned, gesturing toward the mass of people behind him. "Mass check-out? Check-in?"

Nicole shook her head, seeming much more subdued now that the topic had switched toward business. "No, Vincent told me earlier that some big-shot VIP is going to be giving a speech and throwing a party in the Ball Room tonight." She explained. "Last minute."

Jason looked back toward the group, noting for the first time that all the men were dressed in sharp suits and the women looked like they were ready to hold court in the queen's ball room, instead of a party room at a hotel in Hawaii. "That explains it." He remarked, looking back at Nicole.

"Vincent's going to have a whole list of lines not to even get close to crossing." Nicole continued, crossing her arms over her chest, a nervous habit that she had been doing a lot lately. "Oughtta be a fun staff meeting."

Jason sighed, his lack of sleep beginning to catch up on him. "Any idea who this VIP is?"

"No." Nicole answered. "But Vincent makes him out to be a big deal." She looked over at Ashlee. "So a slip-up wouldn't be very good to have on record right now." Ashlee continued to scrub the windows, acting as though she had no idea the comment was directed in her direction.

"Right." Jason agreed, though his words had nothing to do with Ashlee. "We'd all best be on our best behavior." He looked at Nicole, who looked down at the ground, as though the patterns on the rug were demanding her attention.

With those niceties behind them, Jason headed toward the check-in and guest relations desks, his eyes settling on a very frazzled looking Tessa. She was dealing with a guest who was clearly working on her last nerve, trying to be as patient as possible as she promised to attend to his no doubt outlandish request.

Jason stepped behind the desk as Tessa dismissed the guest in front of her; he gave her hand a light squeeze as he greeted her, letting his hand rest upon her waist for a brief moment before standing at the computer beside Tessa's and dealing with the next guest in line.

"So," Jason said while he was rapidly pulling up the desired information on the computer. "I saw your sister washing windows, Nicole's idea?" He guessed.

Tessa nodded. "You should have seen the look on her face when Ashlee came in this morning." She told him. "I thought she was going to pitch a fit."

Jason sighed. "Yeah, I figured something like that would happen." He remarked after telling the guest in front of him to have a nice stay at the fabulous Grand Waimea. "I hope Ashlee keeps her head down."

Tessa rolled her eyes. "Please, Ashlee couldn't keep her head down if someone were throwing rocks at it." She remarked, handing a guest a spare room key.

Jason smiled. "Sounds like she takes after her sister." Tessa shot him a look but smiled nonetheless.

The next few moments passed in silence, with Jason and Tessa's attention focused solely on the gaggle of guests before them, demanding and shouting constantly for almost twenty minutes. When the crowd in the lobby finally began to thin out, Tessa took a deep breath and let it out slowly, seeming to savor the fact that she had the time to do such a thing. When she had finished exhaling, she turned to look at Jason once more. "I could use a break." She remarked. The statement wasn't meant to be seductive or insinuating, a simple exhausted remark, but Tessa realized as soon as she had said it, that it came across that way.

And, apparently, Jason read her words that way too. He offered her a crooked smile, which Tessa was slowly finding quite sexy, and shrugged nonchalantly. "I think I have a break coming up too." He muttered off-handedly, as though he weren't discussing anything more important then the weather.

Tessa smiled and slipped out from behind the desk, heading down the hallway which housed the elevators and several doors that led to employee only rooms. Jason watched her until she had disappeared from view, turning his attention back toward a guest in front of him with a faint smile on his face.

After several other guests had been taken care of, Jason got another employee to handle guest relations while he took his break. Nicole and Ashlee were still standing by the entrance of the hotel and Jason quickened his pace slightly to avoid being noticed by his ex-girlfriend; he figured that if Nicole picked up on his relationship with Tessa the repercussions weren't going to be pleasant.

Ashlee, however, noticed him slipping down the hallway and quickly put two-and-two together. She smiled slightly and winked at him, slapping the damp rag against the window and splashing Nicole, snatching all of her attention. Jason ducked into the hallway, largely unnoticed and met Tessa in the hallway.

Jason had spent so much time trying to avoid being spotted by Nicole that he forgot to check around for other prying eyes that might be hanging around. Otherwise, he would have surely noticed Morgan Holt, watching he and Tessa very closely.

_Sorry for the lack of update, I've started school again so I'm dealing with that pressure again, and turning to update another story of mine. I'm thinking about discounting this story, so if anyone has any objects against that, just let me know and I'd be happy to continue. I just like to know that my work is being read by at least someone. So, review and let me know what you think, thanks. _


	9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Nicole jumped slightly when Morgan slipped his arms around her waist, giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek, but she smiled despite her surprise and turned her head slightly to face her fiancé. "Hey baby." She greeted, kissing him again. "What are your plans today? Maybe we could have lunch?"

Morgan shrugged, keeping his arms around Nicole's waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. "I have a few meetings today, maybe we can fit it in." The brunette nodded, but she didn't seem as though she was putting any faith in that promise being kept. "Do you know what's going on around here?" Morgan questioned, seeming oblivious to Nicole's frown. "It's like a madhouse."

"Some VIP is giving a speech tonight." Nicole informed him. "Important stuff."

Ashlee looked up from her window washing and craned her head so that she could study Nicole and her fiancé; there was no doubt in her mind that that was the man she had heard her supervisor talking to several nights ago, speaking secretly about ruining the Grand Waimea.

Morgan's gaze drifted toward the teenager, their eyes meeting for a brief second. In that second, Ashlee could read the look behind his eyes clearly, for it was a look she had worn in her own more times then she cared to count. It was the look that promised that something big was about to happen.

Tessa fidgeted out of boredom, crossing and uncrossing her legs, picking a stray piece of hair off her skirt as she tried to listen to what Vincent was saying. Beside her, Ashlee looked like she was seconds away from falling asleep, her head propped up in the palm of one hand, studying the other palm with the intensity of a physic. Tessa kicked her sister lightly on the shin, startling her and causing her to look up and deliver a kick in the same manner.

In the front of the spacious party room, The Gold Room -which always reminded Tessa of _The Shining_- Vincent continued his speech about proper hotel edict, oblivious to the boredom pouring off his employees. "Dr. Samuel Riens is looking toward the Grand Waimea for a pleasant and professional place to give his speech," he was saying, "and it is up to all of us to make sure that he gets what he is looking for."

Ashlee yawned, making no move to cover her mouth with her hand; Vincent noticed and narrowed his eyes but said nothing, continuing to pace the length of the room. "That means that, about all things, we must be on our _best behavior_." He stressed these last two words, his eyes settling on Ashlee, Tessa and Nicole in one fluid motion.

For ten more minutes, Vincent rambled on about how everything must be in perfect order, not a single thing out of place, before dismissing his staff to devote the rest of their days to making sure that the Grand Waimea was up to snuff. Tessa stood up and carried her chair toward the back of the room, where it would be stacked with the rest until they were needed for the party tonight in another party room; she could hear Ashlee following after her, her own chair bumping along the ground.

After both chairs had been added to the pile, Tessa and Ashlee turned toward the entrance to tend to the needs of the massive hotel, nearly bumping into MJ, who was nudging aside her own seat. "I was looking for you two." The blonde waitress informed them almost on contact. "I need your help."

"With what?" Tessa questioned, intrigued as to what MJ could possibly need their help with. Unless it was relationship advice, then she would totally understand. Ashlee didn't seem near as interested, but she also didn't seem eager to find Nicole and rejoin the ranks of the under-paid and over-worked.

MJ sighed. "Vincent's making me waitress the party tonight." She explained. "By myself, but he said if I could find any other employee's willing to help then I could go ahead and enlist them." She smiled hopefully at the sisters. "Are you two willing to help?"

"Sure." Tessa answered before Ashlee could figure out if she wanted to accept or deny the invite. She nudged her sister, who unenthusiastically muttered a likewise. "No problem." She was well aware that she was just using the event as an excuse to be around Jason and didn't really care, though it wasn't as though she needed an excuse to be around him anymore.

Tessa and Ashlee parted ways with a very grateful MJ and headed out of The Gold Room and back into the lobby of the hotel. Tessa had never had the privilege of attending a party where the goal wasn't to see who could get drunk and pass out the fastest but she was certain that the approaching night was going to prove to be interesting.

"You look beautiful." Jason whispered to Tessa as he came up behind her, causing the brunette he was addressing to greet him with a large smile. The upcoming event demanded elegant evening wear, even for the staff, and Tessa was managing to get the hang of the sleek gray dress and matching high-heels that MJ had leant her. She figured that the dress had been the right choice, judging by the way that Jason couldn't seem to take his eyes off her.

"Thanks." Tessa smiled, setting aside a tray filled with empty wine glasses. "You don't look too bad yourself." She informed Jason, making note of his sharp tuxedo that seemed as though it had never been worn.

Jason looked down at his outfit and gave Tessa sheepish look. "I don't think I was made for the penguin suit." He told her with a boyish shrug and a slight smile.

Tessa shook her head. "Nah, you look good." She assured him. "The perfect gentleman."

Jason's smile grew wider but before he could say anything more or deliver another compliment to the woman standing in front of him, there was a thud from behind them and the sound of shattering glass. Both he and Tessa turned to see that Ashlee had stumbled over her four-inch high heels and hit the carpeted floor of the second time in ten minutes, bringing with her this time several glasses.

Tessa sighed and shook her head. "Tennis shoes." She mumbled, almost to herself. "I told her to wear tennis shoes." The dress that MJ had let Ashlee was so long that it covered her feet, therefore hiding her choice of footwear but the blonde waitress had insisted on giving Ashlee the heels to match.

Jason suppressed a smile and took Tessa's hand, giving it a sympathetic squeeze; he'd have to talk to MJ about making sure Ashlee had a job that didn't require a lot of walking.

From across the spacious room, Nicole stopped what she was doing and stalked toward the teenager, who was slowing picking herself up off the ground. "What do you think you're doing?" She snapped when she reached the girl, taking Ashlee's arm and jerking her around to face her. "Are you trying to make a pain in the ass of yourself?"

Ashlee shook her head. "No." She answered sincerely. "I'm just trying to learn how to walk in high heels."

Nicole sighed, exasperated and commanded Ashlee to retrieve the shards of glass off the carpet. Her eyes drifted around the room briefly, stopping when she noticed Jason and Tessa standing near the bar, instantly noting that Jason's fingers were intertwined with Tessa's.

After making sure that Ashlee was hard at work cleaning up her most recent mess, Nicole continuing across the room, toward Tessa and Jason. As soon as he noticed her heading in their direction, Jason dropped Tessa's hand and turned to face his ex-girlfriend. "How's everything coming with the set-up, Nicole?" He questioned.

"Fine." She answered shortly, giving her attention to Tessa. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" It wasn't a request, it was a command and Tessa followed her to one corner of the large party room. "What are you doing?" She snapped as soon as they were out of ear-shot of the other employees. "What did I tell you about Jason?"

Tessa rolled her eyes again. "Not this again." She mumbled. "Look, Nicole, I've got a lot of work to do, so-" She started to walk past the girl but Nicole stepped in front of her, stopping her in her tracks. Tessa glared at the brunette. "Nicole, Jason's a big boy now, he doesn't need you watching out for him." She said. "Besides, last time I checked, you have no right to tell him, or me for that matter, who we can and cannot be with."

"I might not be Jason's girlfriend anymore, but I'm still his friend." Nicole said, her voice low. "So it's my _right _to protect him and make sure that he doesn't end up with a total slut who's more interesting in making a quick buck then anything else."

Tessa narrowed her eyes and leaned close to Nicole, their faces inches from one another. "If you _ever _call me that again, you're really going to know what it means to need protection." Nicole pulled away slightly. "And that _is _a threat."

Nicole watched her for a moment, absolutely silent, as though trying to figure out just how much truth was behind Tessa's words. Another moment passed and Tessa backed up, fixing a hugely false smile on her face. "No problem Nicole." She said, her voice cheery. "I'll get right on it."

Nicole was confused for a minute as to Tessa's sudden mood swing, but then she noticed Jason out of the corner of her eye, approaching them. "Is everything all right?" He asked when he reached the women, his gaze settling on Tessa. He had no doubt witnessed the confrontation in the girls' postures, and had come to make sure that everything was in order.

"Yep." Tessa told him, her smile seeming to dissipate. "Nicole was just telling me to make sure Ashlee didn't break anything else."

Jason smiled and nodded. "I've already talked to MJ about that." He informed both women. "Ashlee's going to be helping her behind the bar."

With that problem solved, the trio went their separate ways, handling their separate tasks to make sure that the party went off without a hitch. And Nicole seemed to make it her personal mission to see that none of Tessa's tasks put her anywhere near Jason.

Ashlee had kicked off her heels, standing bare-foot behind the sweeping bar, familiarizing herself with the different alcoholic beverages on tap and reacquainting herself with a man named Jack Daniels, when Morgan entered The Ball Room. He was alone, a briefcase in his hand, striding toward the stage in the back of the room.

Morgan was unnoticed by the handful of other employees in the room, who were organizing the mass of chairs around the stage where Dr. Samuel Riens was set to give his speech and he didn't glance around to see whether or not he was being watched, intent on whatever mission had brought him into the room. Ashlee quickly hid her glass of Jack Daniels behind the bar as she watched Morgan, wishing that Tessa were around to help her keep an eye on this creep. There was something about him that rubbed her the wrong way and she didn't let the man out of her sight.

Morgan stepped onto the stage and set his briefcase down, kneeling beside it and putting his back to the youngest maid at the Grand Waimea. Ashlee could tell he was fiddling with several of the wires that crisscrossed the stage but she couldn't see just what he was doing.

After several minutes, Morgan stood again, turning and stepping up to the microphone. "Testing, testing." He mumbled, his voice heard clearly through the speakers. Seeming satisfied, he retrieved his briefcase and headed out of the party room once more, more causal this time.

Ashlee watched him suspiciously, before looking over at the stage; nothing seemed to have been tampered with, the wires still in order. But, somehow, she doubted that Morgan had popped by to make sure that the microphone was working properly.

Tessa smiled politely at a male guest, who was nearly too drunk to remember his own name, as she retrieved his empty glass, promising a refill and fending off his advances. Trying to ignore the fact that the man, who was in the empty of his wife, was very concentrated on watching her walk away, Tessa weaved her way through the crowd until she reached the bar once more, setting the empty glass in front of her sister. "Pina Colada." She ordered.

Ashlee retrieved the glass and went about filling the drink order. Tessa couldn't help but observe just how natural her sister seemed when it came to working behind the bar and wondered just where she had picked up all her bar tending talents. Certainly not from repetitive viewings of _Coyote Ugly_.

While Tessa was waiting for the new Pina Colada, Jason stepped up beside her, leaning against the bar and flashing her a smile. "How're you enjoying the party?" He questioned.

"Serving drinks to rich people while trying to retain some patience while turning down yet another offer for dinner and sex," Tessa remarked brightly, "what's not to enjoy?"

Jason smiled, shaking his head. "It's the life isn't it?" He questioned sarcastically. "Paradise."

Tessa took the chilled drink from her sister and turned back to brave the crowd once again. "Yeah, paradise all right."

Jason watched as she disappeared into the throng of people, smiling to himself for a moment before turning back to look at Ashlee, who was watching him. "Tessa's something, isn't she?" Ashlee nodded. "She's looking really beautiful tonight, don't you think?" It was a friendly question, a little chance for Ashlee to show off just how proud she was of her sister. However, all Jason got was another slow nod. "Are you all right?" Ashlee hadn't said much of anything since the party started, keeping her mouth shut tightly.

Ashlee nodded again, offering him a tight smile. "Are you sure?" Jason questioned, studying her closely. "Say something." He suddenly had an idea of what was keeping Ashlee's lips sealed so tightly.

"I'm fine." Ashlee croaked out, hiding her mouth behind her hand casually. Jason rolled his eyes, the unmistakable smell of Jack Daniels passing from behind her fingers; it wasn't his place to snap at Ashlee for under-aged drinking, but he was definitely going to mention it to Tessa.

Ashlee hurried off to fill another drink order for MJ, and Jason headed back into the crowd as well. The party was, so far, a success, the guests' spirits apparently hadn't been dampened, despite the doctor's rather boring, nearly two-hour long speech. Jason wouldn't have been surprised if he had learned that Ashlee had cracked open her first bottle of Jack Daniels during the presentation.

The band that often played at the hotel restaurants was well into their third set, doing a slow rendition of REO Speedwagon's "I'm Gonna Keep On Loving You." Most of the guests had paired off and it wasn't difficult for Jason to spot Tessa, close to the stage, enjoying the reverie she was getting from rushing around and filling drink orders.

"Will you dance with me, Miss Lewis?" Jason questioned, extending his hand when he reached the brunette. Tessa looked at him, his invitation a clearly pleasant surprise and she took his hand, setting her empty tray aside and letting him slip his arm around her waist and lean her head against his shoulder.

Tessa tried to remember if she had ever danced, really danced, with a guy before and couldn't come up with a time when she would have. There weren't a lot of chances to slow dance when you were grinding in a club and she wished that wasn't so, because moving in time with the slow music was more fun then she would have expected. Or maybe it was just dancing with Jason that made it that way.

Seemingly seconds after Tessa closed her eyes, moving a little closer to Jason, the singer's words were replaced by nothing but static hissing through the speakers. She lifted her head just as the lights in the room flickered, plunging the party-goers into darkness for a brief moment before returning.

A murmur rose from the crowd as the sound cut out all together, and Jason turned toward the lead singer of the cover band, who appeared just as perplexed by what was happening as everyone else.

From her place behind the bar, Ashlee took another ship of Jack Daniels, working on her third bottle of the night, when the lights flickered. She lifted her eyes, a little too tipsy to be too interested and picked her sister and Jason out of the crowd, where they had been slow dancing together. Well, that was nice, she decided, it was about time her sister found a decent guy who wasn't interested in just a quick-

"What do you think you're doing?" Vincent's angry words snapped Ashlee out of her mental praise of Tessa's recent choice of boyfriends and he grabbed her wrist, pulling her toward him. Vincent snatched the bottle from her hands, spilling half the liquid onto the surface of the bar. "I don't even know where to start." He continued, clearly infuriated. "Under-aged drinking is absolutely against the rules in my hotel."

Ashlee tried to wrench free of his grasp, but Vincent held her tight, not planning on letting her off the hook so easily. Before Vincent could fumble out any more anger laced words, the electricity flickered again, cutting out for good this time and plunging the room into complete darkness.

"What in the Hell?" Vincent muttered, releasing Ashlee and headed toward the back of the room, where the breakers were located, confused as to what was going on. This was not supposed to be happening; hotels were not supposed to loose power when hosting very important parities for very important people.

The crowd started to get rowdy, the nervous sort of rowdy that came when something happened that wasn't planned and Vincent was torn between calming them down and finding out what was causing the power failure.

Luckily, Jason was already stepping onto the stage, intent on addressing the guests in the room. "Ladies and gentlemen," he began in his best 'I'm a general manager, and I've got everything under control' voice. "I assure you this power failure will be fixed momentarily. Until then, please remain calm and where you are, the lights will be back on shortly."

While Jason was attempting to gain control of the anxious guests and Vincent was stumbling his way toward the circuit breakers, Morgan managed to slip up to the stage, unnoticed. With the ease of someone used to performing secretive operations in the dark, he retrieved the bundle of wires he had been prodding earlier and found the space where he had cut through the rubber coating, exposing the copper wires beneath.

Using his pocket knife to pry open the back of one of the massive speakers, Morgan exposed the bundle of wires that had been hidden inside and cut through the rubber coating once more. He untangled the copper mass and touched them to the tips of the previously exposed wires, creating a spark; it was just like hot-wiring a car, but with all the extra wires around, the result wouldn't quite be the same.

Just as Morgan had hoped, the spark caught and several of the other wires caught with it, the beginning of a tiny fire that would hopefully spread. Quickly, Morgan dropped the bundles of exposed wires onto the stage and retreated into the crowd.

Tessa noticed the fire first, where the spark from the wires had ignited by the speakers, fueled by residue from someone's spilled drink. "Jason," she called over the din of the crowd, alerting him to the growing fire.

Jason looked in the direction Tessa was gesturing, as did several other guests; their reactions to the steadily growing fire weren't nearly as calm as Jason's. Almost instantaneously, the crowd began to panic, preparing to make a mass exodus from the room, via the double doors.

Tessa got onto the stage to avoid being trampled and started looking around for something to quell the fire with. Jason was shouting for everyone to be calm but the sight of the fire and the constant darkness made it easy for his words to be ignored.

Ashlee turned toward the back of the bar, searching for one of the several pitchers of water that lined the back wall. She finally spotted one, snatching it up, just as MJ appeared, demanding for a glass of water or a cup of ice, anything to help put out the fire. Ashlee handed her the pitcher, watching as MJ doused the fire that had remained in the relative vicinity of the speaker.

In all actuality, the fire was little more then a flaming spark but just the sight of it was enough to do the job Morgan had hoped it would. Once MJ had managed to put out the fire, Vincent was able to snap the electricity back on, which managed to make the hurried departure from the room a little less dangerous.

Once most of the guests had been cleared out, Jason, Tessa, MJ, Vincent and Ashlee followed after them, joining the chaos in the lobby, where it became evident that some order had to be re-established. Ashlee and MJ tried to calm everyone down while Tessa made sure no one had been hurt, leaving Vincent and Jason to try and gain everyone's attention for an announcement of some sort.

"Everyone please, calm down!" Vincent commanded, though no one seemed to heed his words. Several people began threatening lawsuits for faulty equipment and endangerment and the majority of the crowd demanded to be checked-out of the hotel.

"Who knows what other wiring in this place is faulty." One guest remarked to his wife. "We could all burn to death in our sleep."

Vincent tried to deny his claims but it was no use; by the time Tessa and Nicole managed to check everyone out and provide adequate refunds, more then half the guests had relocated to other hotels. Including the doctor who had hosted the party in the first place.

Jason sighed, slumping against the guest relations counter and burying his face in his hands. Somehow, this was not how he had expected the evening to go.

__

Thanks for all the great reviews, it's nice to know that everyone wants this story to continue. So, as long as there's someone reviewing, I'll keep writing. I hope to have this story finished by the time the next new episode airs, so that the events of the TV show stop interfering with my story. I hope Tessa gives Jason what he deserves for getting back with Nicole... Anyway, thanks so much for the fantastic reviews! It means so much! 


	10. Chapter Ten

* * *

Chapter Ten

"Tess," Ashlee began as she slipped her high heels off, standing in bare-feet on the warm pavement of the employee parking garage. "What do you think caused the fire?"

Tessa looked over at her sister, who was chewing up yet another peppermint as though half the hotel didn't already know she had been drinking. "I don't know." She answered truthfully. "Could have been anything, the wiring..." She shrugged, that really wasn't her area of expertise.

The sisters were waiting beside Jason's car in the employee garage, waiting for Jason to get done helping Vincent poke around The Ball Room in an attempt to find what had started the fire. He had offered to give them a ride home if they could wait a few minutes and a few minutes was slowly inching toward thirty.

Ashlee was silent for a minute, curling her toes and stretching them again, ignoring the ache that the shoes had caused them. "I saw Morgan messing with the wires." She told her sister finally, almost quietly, as though confessing a private secret.

Tessa glanced at Ashlee again. "What?" She questioned. "When?"

"Before the party started." Ashlee told her. "You were helping MJ fill the ice buckets and he came in with a briefcase. I couldn't see what he was doing because his back was to me but I know he was messing with the wires." She explained, studying Tessa. "Do you think he could have...?" She trailed off, raising an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't be surprised." Tessa answered quickly, narrowing her eyes. "It just sounds like something Nicole and Morgan would do, start the fire to ruin an important party." Added with the fact that Ashlee had heard Morgan talking about doing such a thing a few days before, it made almost perfect sense.

Ashlee nodded, as though thinking the same thing. "What do we do?" She questioned. "Tell Vincent?" That idea didn't seem so pleasant to her, however, after her boss had caught her behind the bar, enjoying the alcohol instead of serving it.

This was a question Tessa didn't have an answer to; would her boss be willing to hear that his favorite female employee was trying to ruin the hotel? Would he even believe it? No, he wouldn't; especially not if the accusation had passed her lips. Tessa sighed and leaned against Jason's car, furrowing her brow at words only she could hear. Ashlee watched her sister, impatient for an answer that Tessa couldn't come up with.

Luckily, she didn't have to turn the possibilities over in her head for much longer, because Jason was heading across the parking garage, looking more weary and exhausted then he ever had before. He managed a strained smile in Tessa's direction as he approached, pulling his keys out of his pocket; Tessa felt bad about making Jason drive out of his way when clearly all he wanted to do was go home and sleep but she didn't have a car or enough cash to take a taxi.

By way of a silent thank-you, Tessa kissed Jason lightly on the cheek when he arrived, offering him a sweet smile. Jason smiled in return, seeming to brighten up a bit. Tessa and Ashlee got into his car and Jason backed out of the garage.

A silence hung in the car, filled with unspoken questions and worries that would probably never be voiced. It was Ashlee who finally broke the silence, her mind still racing over the possibility of Morgan having something to do with the events of the night. "Did you find out what started the fire?"

Jason sighed and looked at the younger girl in his rear-view mirror. "No, Vincent and I went all around The Ball Room but couldn't find anything." Another sigh followed. "It's like it was some kind of freak accident."

Ashlee leaned forward, forgetting the purpose of a seat belt and nudged her sister's shoulder, attempting to prompt Tessa to bring up the possibility that Morgan had caused the fire in the first place. Tessa cleared her throat, and shot her sister a look, pushing her back into her seat after batting her hand aside.

Jason looked over at Tessa and raised an eyebrow, having noted the sisters' behavior. "What's the big secret?" He questioned, looking amused.

Ashlee leaned back in her seat, silent, leaving Tessa to explain about Morgan and Nicole. With every word that involved his ex-girlfriend, Jason's eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed and his expression stayed that way until Tessa finished telling her story.

"You really don't think that Nicole had anything to do with what happened, do you?" Jason asked as soon as Tessa fell silent. "That's stupid." His words came out a little differently and harsher then he had intended, something that was obvious by Tessa's expression.

"You don't have to get so defensive, Jason." Tessa said, narrowing her eyes as well. "And just what about that is stupid? Just because Nicole's your ex-girlfriend doesn't make her innocent."

Jason sighed. "Nicole being my ex doesn't have anything to do with this, Tessa." He told her. "I'm just saying that Nicole wouldn't have any reason to sabotage the hotel, she works there too, remember?" Tessa was silent. "It's not going to do anyone any good for you to accuse her of something she had no part in."

Tessa was silent until Jason pulled up in front of her apartment complex moments later; she unbuckled her seatbelt and looked back at him. "I just can't help but wonder, Jason, if we were talking about someone other then Nicole, would you be more willing to listen?" She slipped out of the car and shut the door before he had a chance to defend himself.

Jason called her name, attempting to catch her attention but Tessa wasn't willing to listen to anything he might have to say. She and Ashlee disappeared into the apartment complex, leaving Jason sitting alone in his car, wondering if he had set a new record by screwing up a relationship before the second day.

Even now, he was letting Nicole control the better part of his thoughts and actions, clouding his judgment and forcing him to ignore anything that might put a mark on her name. Maybe Tessa was right, maybe Nicole and Morgan did have something to do with what happened at the party; but even if Tessa's words weren't true, she didn't deserve to have him snap at her like that.

Jason sighed and pulled away from the complex. Maybe Tessa would be more willing to listen to his apology in the morning.

* * *

Tessa wiggled her toes as she buried them and the front of her sandal in the wet sand that surrounded the tide line. She and her sister had arrived at the Grand Waimea a few minutes before the hotel officially started its day, giving them time to enjoy the reason that most people came to Hawaii: the beautiful beaches and stretching ocean.

Ashlee was skipping about in the water with her pants rolled to the knees like a little kid, every so often splashing at her sister, but the water droplets often fell short. If Tessa hadn't be so preoccupied thinking about Jason and what had happened the previous night, she would have found Ashlee's behavior amusing and adorable and maybe would have joined in the splashing fight. But her heart just wasn't in it.

Ashlee looked over at Tessa and sighed, wishing that the same sparkle was on her face now that had been there yesterday, the glow caused by being happy. Now there was nothing shining in Tessa's eyes other then confusion and the hollow look that came with thinking too hard.

Abandoning the foamy water around her knees, Ashlee headed back toward the shore, which was already dotted with guests working on their tans and several people with surfboards. "You shouldn't be so mad at Jason." She advised Tessa when she reached her. "You guys were both really stressed last night, you should talk to him."

"I'm not mad at Jason." Tessa told her sister. "I was just thinking about apologizing to him later on, in private." She sighed and looked at Ashlee. "Maybe taking a walk down the beach and explaining to him that I wasn't trying to accuse Nicole of anything and maybe...making up." She smiled slightly.

Ashlee rolled her eyes. "Well, if you're planning on walking on the beach and 'making up', be sure to use protection." She winked.

Tessa, more embarrassed then amused by hearing those words come out of her sister's mouth, swatted Ashlee on the shoulder. Ashlee ducked away, feigning innocence. "I meant from the sun." She defended. "You know...sun screen."

"Sure you did." It was Tessa's turn to roll her eyes. As they started back up the beach and toward the Grand Waimea, she sighed, her melancholy atmosphere returning. "Who knows if Jason will even be willing to listen."

"He will." Ashlee assured her. "He just wasn't last night."

As they neared the hotel, Tessa was surprised to see that there were no doormen positioned outside the glass doors of the hotel. In fact, there were no bellhops waiting on the sidewalk either, alert and ready to open car doors and assist rich guests with their luggage.

More interested then worried about the cause of this, Tessa opened the doors and she and Ashlee stepped into the lobby, where, promptly, she stepped on something that crunched beneath her sandal. Wrinkling her nose and afraid of what she might find, Tessa looked down to see two bent crab-legs twitching beneath her foot. A wave of revulsion rippled through her body and she cried out in surprise, leaping backward and falling out of her sandals.

Less then interested by her sister's run-in with a crustacean, Ashlee stared open-mouthed at the lobby in front of her. Everywhere she looked, crabs were crawling: on the floors, on luggage, on furniture and even across peoples feet and shoes. Several employees of the Grand Waimea were rushing around with nets and bowls, anything they could find in order to scoop up the little animals, most of which just spilled over the sides of the bowls and resumed their crawling.

The guests of the hotel were shouting and complaining to anyone that stopped chasing crabs long enough to listen; a few guests were adding in the attempt to recapture the animals and several women had taken up screaming whenever a crab got too near.

Joining those guests in their high-pitched cries was Tessa, who had had a fear of crabs since she had been five-years-old and found all the creatures crawling around the floor to be something out of her worst nightmares. She cried out when one of the crabs scuttled over her foot and jumped backward, all but knocking Ashlee over and stepping onto another crab.

"Tessa, calm down." Ashlee tried to gain control of her sister but it was no use. Tessa was alternating between crying out and whimpering, trying to wipe the dead crab off the bottom of her foot and make a getaway from the rest of the creatures. But, everywhere she turned, there were crabs there to meet her.

From her spot, trying to herd crabs into a bowl from the kitchen that Jason was holding, Nicole noticed Tessa and rolled her eyes; she didn't seem so tough now. She was, however, the only one that found Tessa's spastic reaction to the crabs amusing; Jason looked up with a worried expression on his face, handing the bowl he held to Gabriel, who had abandoned his life-guard post for the moment.

Tessa was still hopping around, trying to escape the crabs that were punching at her toes and the bottom of her pants, when Jason arrived. A crab clamped onto one of her toes and she cried out again, in pain this time and tried to shake it loose, her entire body crawling with revulsion, so badly that her hands were shaking.

Without a word, Jason scooped Tessa into his arms, holding her against his chest and carried her down the hallway, away from the mass of crabs. A few of the tiny creatures crawled around this area as well but Jason batted them carelessly aside with his shoes.

"I hate crabs." Tessa muttered weakly, still shaking, as Jason gently set her down on one of the couches that rested in between the elevators. She sighed and leaned against the wall. "I _hate _them."

Jason knelt in front of her, intending on inspecting the crab pinches on her feet. "Is this a new found fear?" He questioned, almost amused, as he gently prodded one of the red marks.

Tessa winced. "No." She answered. "Ever since I was five and this boy dropped a crab down my shirt..." She shuddered at the memory. "It got tangled in my hair and my shirt and...let's just say it wasn't pretty."

Jason smiled slightly. "I think you're going to be okay." He said, gesturing toward the marks on her feet. He looked at her and offered her a slightly apologetic, sheepish smile.

But, before he could apologize verbally for his reaction last night, Tessa spoke again. "Where did all those crabs come from?" She questioned.

Jason shrugged. "I have no idea. I came in this morning and they were all over the place, even more then there are now." He sighed. "That's a hell of a lot of crabs."

Tessa nodded in agreement. "Why would someone bring all those things in here?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jason studied her quizzically. "What makes you think someone brought them here?"

"I don't know of many cases of a mass crab migration." Tessa pointed out. "Do you?" Jason shook his head. "It's too strange that all those crabs would just show up here; someone brought them."

Jason sighed. "Maybe you're right."

Back in the lobby of the Grand Waimea, Nicole wasn't much liking the way Jason and Tessa had disappeared down the hallway and had yet to return. And the way he picked Tessa up, carrying her away from the crabs...; Nicole rolled her eyes. What a knight in shining armor.

Having had enough of waiting for them to return, Nicole decided she was going to go make sure that they did. She grabbed Ashlee's arm and pulled her away from the door, pushing her in the direction Gabe was standing, trying to put crabs in a bowl. "Go help him catch the crabs." She commanded.

Ashlee stared for a moment, surprised by the suddenness of the command before snatching one of the crabs off the ground and tossing it in Gabe's direction. Instead of landing in the bowl, the crab connected with his face before dropping to the ground.

"I'm so sorry." Ashlee managed to apologize, trying to keep from laughing and as she hurried over to him. She picked up the crab again and dropped it in the bowl. "Are you okay?" She couldn't help but smile, the image of the crab smacking him in the face repeating through her mind.

Gabe offered her a slight smile. "Yeah." He said. "I'm not so sure about the crab though." He looked into the bowl, where the crab was attempting an escape.

Ashlee shrugged. "There's enough crabs, they'll never miss one." She remarked. "Speaking of which, how did all these things get here?"

Gabe shrugged as well, picking up another creature and dropping it in with its friend. "Beats me; Jason told me to take a break and come help catch these crabs." He explained. "No one knows how they got here."

At this time, Ashlee was coming to the same conclusion that Tessa had started coming to moments earlier; the crabs didn't just walk in on their own free will, someone had brought them here. And she had a good idea who that someone was.

It was the same thought that Tessa would be having if she wasn't too busy staring into Jason's eyes and listening to his words as he apologized for the way he had acted the night before.

"I wasn't trying to bad mouth Nicole." Tessa said once Jason had finished speaking. "I was just telling you what Ashlee heard."

Jason took her hand and lightly kissed her knuckles. "I know." He assured her. "I don't know why I reacted the way I did; Nicole's not my girlfriend anymore, and she won't be again. So, I shouldn't have acted like a complete jerk when you brought her up." He smiled slightly. "Can you forgive me?"

Tessa smiled as well, feigning indecision; Jason leaned forward and kissed her, bringing her façade to an end. When the kiss was broken, Tessa shrugged. "I guess I could forgive you." She smiled, kissing him again.

If Nicole hadn't been watching the whole exchange for as long as she had, she would have believed that Tessa was playing games and leading Jason on. But Jason had kissed Tessa first and it was an action that had hurt Nicole more then it should have; she hadn't dated Jason for a long time and she was going to be married. What did it matter to her whether Jason found another girlfriend?

It was a question that she couldn't answer and Nicole turned away, blinking back tears, something else that surprised her. You only cried for someone when you loved them. And she certainly did not love Jason Matthews.

Anymore.


	11. Chapter Eleven

Thanks for all the great reviews! Over fifty, wow, I never thought this story would be so popular! Keep those reviews coming as this story comes to its close, only a few more chapter to go and seemingly, just in time for the start of North Shore_, which finally comes back on a week from tomorrow. So, thanks again for all those great reviews, it's good to know that everyone is enjoying this story, keep 'em up. _

Chapter Eleven

It took nearly two hours for the crab debacle to be set right and most of the crabs to be turned loose by outside. Ashlee felt as though if she never saw another crab in her entire life -living or dead- then she could die very happy.

Tessa and Jason had reappeared moments ago, just in time for Jason to supervise the last of the crab clean-up and Tessa to take her post at the guest relations desk, assuring several unhappy guests that there were going to be no more crabs in the hotel, unless they were cooked. It wasn't difficult for Ashlee to pick up on the 'sly' looks that her sister was sending the general manager, flirtatious smiles and unspoken promises.

And, clearly, Nicole was noticing them as well, judging by the way she was shoving Ashlee around since she couldn't push around the eldest Lewis girl. After one grin and 'secretly' blown kiss, Nicole whacked Ashlee in the ankles with a broom as she chased out the remainder of the crabs, though Ashlee wasn't quite sure the action was entirely purposeful.

"You've got work to do." Nicole snapped once she decided the physical abuse had come to an end. "I suggest you hurry up and get to it."

Ashlee set aside a dust-pan, which still had several crabs crawling around inside and looked at the brunette. "You just said you wanted me to help you get the crabs." She reminded. "Which is it?"

Another solid whack with the broom which couldn't even be passed of as an accident. "Go start cleaning rooms." Nicole corrected sharply. "Start with the suites."

Ashlee muttered something and ducked away quickly to avoid another blow, heading for the employee areas. As she approached the area, she met Vincent, who was finally slipping from his office to handle what was left of the crab situation.

"Sir," Ashlee intercepted him, stepping in front of Vincent and keeping him from continuing. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"No." Vincent answered promptly. "I've got a lot of work to do." He tried to push past her, but Ashlee stepped into his path once more.

"Please, Jason's got the crab thing under control and this'll only take a minute." Ashlee persisted, trying to smile winningly at the man that was her boss. "It's important."

Vincent sighed, crossing his arms over his chest; it was far too early to be dealing with the likes of future con-artists. "What is it Ashlee?" He questioned. "What could possibly be so important?"

"It's about the crabs." Ashlee answered quickly. "And the fire from last night." Vincent looked at her, a little more interested. "I think I know who's to blame."

Vincent didn't look convinced. "Who?" He questioned in spite of himself, more interested then anything else to see just what accusations would pass Ashlee's mouth. After last night and the night before, he had decided that she wasn't exactly the most trustworthy person he had ever met.

Ashlee sighed. "I think it was...I know it was Morgan." She mumbled. "Nicole's fiancé."

For a moment, Vincent just stared at her before erupting into laughter; Ashlee glared at him but remained silent. Once his laughing fit had passed, Vincent managed to compose himself enough to repeat the name of the person Ashlee had accused. The teenager nodded. "Morgan Holt." Vincent laughed again, as though he had never heard anything so funny. "Ashlee, you could have done better then that."

Ashlee was confused. "What are you talking about?" Before Vincent could answer, she plowed on. "I'm not making this up, I saw Morgan last night, messing with the wires on the stage." Vincent waved his hand dismissively. "You've got to trust me!" She exclaimed, frustrated. "The other night I-"

Vincent silenced her. "Trust you?" He repeated, ignoring whatever else she had to say. "How do you expect me to trust you when you've already stolen from my hotel and been caught drinking." Ashlee looked at the floor. "Those are hardly the things to do to earn trust."

Ashlee looked up. "I know, but this is different. Morgan wants to ruin your hotel and he's already well on his way to doing it so if you know what's good for you, you're going to believe what I say and do something about it!"

Vincent glared at her. "If you know what's good for you, Miss Lewis, you are never going to raise your voice to me again." He commanded, his voice low and serious, sending a chill down Ashlee's spine. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have more important matters to attend to."

Without waiting for Ashlee to step aside, Vincent pushed past her, heading into the lobby. Ashlee stared after him, frustrated; was it really her fault if no one believed what she had to say? She didn't think so, but that wasn't going to stop her from trying to find someone willing to listen.

* * *

Once there was neither sight nor feel of any crabs anywhere, business went on as usual in the Grand Waimea. That is, except when it came to Nicole, who was currently ignoring her duties as she hurried down the hallway toward the suite she was sharing with Morgan. One swipe of the key card and she was inside, slamming the door shut behind her.

"Morgan!" She shouted, her eyes scanning the main room of the suite. She didn't know why seeing Jason and Tessa together had upset her so much, but one thing Nicole did know was that she had to tell Morgan and get some reassurance from him as well. "Morgan!"

The man in question peeked out from behind the bathroom wall, his mouth still foamy with toothpaste. "What's the matter?" Morgan questioned, his word muffled by the mixture of toothpaste and water in his mouth. He ducked back in again and spit the mixture into the sink.

Nicole hurried to the bathroom, standing in the foyer. "Am I unattractive in any way? Am I unpleasant to be around? Am I a bitch?" She questioned.

Morgan stared at her for a beat, confused before slowly shaking his head. "No." He chanced, not quite sure where Nicole was going with this. But there was only one way to find out. "Why?"

Nicole crossed and uncrossed her arms over her chest, too tense to remain still. "Would you say that I'm pretty, that I'm a nice person? Would you compare me in any way to a complete slut?"

Morgan continued to stare at her. "What are you talking about?" He asked, though he had the feeling, now, where his fiancée was going with her sudden rant.

"I saw Jason kissing Tessa." Nicole explained, exasperated, whirling away from the bathroom and stalking into the main room. "And I can't, for the life of me, figure why he would pick a total slut over me."

Morgan followed her. "Maybe because you're already married?" He suggested, causing Nicole to turn and face him with a bashful expression on her face. "Why do you care anyway? I thought Jason was your ex."

"He is." Nicole sighed, dropping onto the bed. "He is my ex." She had no explanation for why seeing Jason with another woman was throwing her into fits. "It's just..._Tessa_." She remarked, as though that would explain everything.

Morgan sat on the bed next to her and took his hands in his. "I know, she's not exactly the sweetest apple on the tree, is she?" Nicole looked at him, as though trying to figure out just what he was talking about. He shrugged dismissively. "If it really bothers you that much, you should get her fired."

Nicole studied him for a second, trying to figure out if he was serious. "Fired?" She repeated. "How am I supposed to do that? Assuming I even want to get Tessa fired."

From the front of the room, behind the closed suite door, came the tired call of, "house keeping," and the swipe of a pass key, which both Morgan and Nicole ignored. Morgan was watching Nicole closely, as though trying to figure out the right buttons to push to convince her to fire the concierge.

"I'm sure that Tessa's on pins and needles with Vincent right now, especially with her sister around." Morgan continued, paying no attention to the opening and shutting of the suite door. "I'm sure it wouldn't be that difficult to get her fired."

Nicole sighed, trying to push the thoughts away despite the promise that they held. "What good would it do to get Tessa fired, anyway?" She mumbled. "She'd still be able to see Jason."

Any further words that might have passed their lips frozen when Morgan looked up and saw Ashlee standing by the front door, dressed in her maid's uniform with her cart standing beside her and a confused look on her face.

"What are you talking about?" Ashlee questioned once she saw two pair of eyes on her. She was certain that neither Morgan nor Nicole were going to answer her question, but she asked it anyway.

Morgan stood up and Ashlee took an involuntary step back, as though she expected Morgan to do something to her. "Get out of here." He commanded forcefully, glaring at her. "Don't you know better then to interrupt private conversations?"

Ashlee stared at him. "I'm just here to clean the room." She told him, as innocently as possible. She wished she had come in a little bit earlier so she could have heard more of their conversation involving her sister.

Morgan took another step toward her. "Out!" He commanded and Nicole rested her hand on his arm, as though attempting to gain some control over him. Ashlee took her bulky cart and slipped from the room, loudly slamming the door shut behind her. Morgan shook his head. "Noisy little brat," he mumbled, more to himself then to Nicole, "she takes after her sister."

Nicole stood as well, taking Morgan's hands and forcing him to look at her. "She heard us talking about Tessa." She said, though that much was obvious. "Morgan, what if she tells Tessa? Or Vincent?" _Or Jason_, she wanted to add but that seemed out of place.

Morgan didn't look the least bit concerned. "So what if she does, who's going to believe her anyway?" He questioned, having heard of both cases of 'theft' that the teenager had been charged with. "She's a thief, Nicky, she's no better then her sister."

Nicole sighed and shook her head, not convinced. "She'll tell Tessa and Tessa will tell Jason." She protested. "And Vincent trusts Jason like his own son." Morgan still didn't look worried. "Anything that happens now, they're going to blame on you." She already knew that the fire the previous night and the crabs that morning were directly related to her fiancé, though she chose to pretend like she didn't.

Morgan sighed as well, pulling his hands free from Nicole's. "Whatever, Nicole, I have a meeting to get to." He headed for the door. "But I don't know why you're trying to protect Tessa," he remarked as he opened the door, "she is the one kissing your ex." He slipped out of the suite before Nicole had the chance to open her mouth.

Nicole flopped onto the bed once more, staring up at the ceiling with a sigh. Since when had things gotten so complicated?

* * *

Once he was in the hallway, Morgan easily spotted Ashlee's maid's cart, resting outside another suite with the teenager no where in sight. Silently, he slipped in that direction, kneeling by the two front wheels, his fingers searching the oily metal until he found the rusty bolts that attached the wheels to the cart.

By the time Ashlee had finished cleaning the suite, Morgan was long gone, taking several of the bolts with him.

* * *

When Morgan left the Grand Waimea, heading for an unknown destination, he had the bolts to several other maids' carts in his pocket. He nodded briefly to Tessa as he passed the guest relations desk, noting that the brunette did nothing but glare at him. That was just fine with Morgan; being polite got you no where.

Tessa frowned as Morgan passed, wondering if he really did have anything to do with the fire and the crabs; she didn't doubt what her sister said, especially not after Ashlee's re-telling of the conversation she had eavesdropped on days earlier. She just wished there was something she could do about that snake before things got worse.

* * *

Ashlee wrinkled her nose as she sprayed cleaner on the large windows over looking the ocean that stood by the stair-well on the twelfth floor. The stuff into the plastic bottle was strong, and she wondered if she could sue for the amount of brain cells she was probably loosing at that moment.

From down the hallway, she could hear the laughing, chipper voices of a group of girls no older then she, dressed in bikinis, heading toward the stair case. Ashlee looked away from the window, hooking the bottle on the belt around her waist and glanced over at the girls. They appeared not to notice her, too wrapped up in their conversation. Ashlee sighed, wishing that she could be heading toward the beach with a group of friends, talking about stuff that wasn't more important then whether they could get away with ordering alcohol from the beach.

With a weary sigh, Ashlee pushed those thoughts away and returned to the task at hand. She had never been one of those girls and she never would be, though she would have given anything to know how to drive an Escalade instead of how to steal one.

Ashlee pulled the bottle free from its spot on her belt, but fumbled the bottle and dropped it down the stairs; she glared at the bottle, where it lay, several feet away, resting against the wall before the stairs curved to lead to the lower levels. Granted, it wasn't a massive descent, but it was going to take more time away from cleaning windows and rooms.

Ashlee had just knelt to retrieve the bottle when the group of girls passed, bumping into the heavy maids cart without pausing. Though the cart had survived being pushed down the hallway without incident, despite the nearly unhinged wheels, the bump provided by the a nameless girl's elbow was enough to knock the remaining bolt loose and send the cart bumping down the stairs.

One of the girls noticed and shouted, "look out!", to Ashlee, who turned at the sound of her voice. Her eyes went wide and rolled to the right, nearly falling down the remaining stairs, just as the cart crashed into the wall, inches from where she now sat.

For a moment, Ashlee could do nothing but remain, pressed against the wall, with her eyes wide, trying to imagine what it would have been like to be crushed by the cumbersome cart. Those thoughts were shaken from her head when another bottle of cleaning liquid fell from the cart and landed squarely on her head, bringing her back to the world of the living.

The girls were standing at the foot of the stairs, their mingled voices asking the same questions over and over again but Ashlee didn't pay any attention to them. Gently rubbing her head where there was a bump already forming, she turned to look at the front wheels of the cart, one of which had gone missing.

After further investigation, Ashlee found the missing wheel, as well as two bolts laying on the stairs. Holding the wheel, she was convinced that what had happened hadn't been an accident. Someone had messed with her cart and there was only one person she could think of.


	12. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

When Ashlee reached the lobby, the first thing she noticed was that there was already a scene taking place, in which her sister was somehow involved, though Tessa appeared to be more of a spectator then the cause of whatever was developing. Vincent was standing with his arms crossed over his chest, eyes narrowed and cheeks red, with a frightened looking maid standing in front of him and an irate looking woman beside her, rubbing her ankle.

Tessa was kneeling beside the woman, holding an ice pack against her ankle and looking quite annoyed with her new job, looking up at Vincent. Ashlee cautiously approached, giving serious consideration to confronting Vincent another time, but by the time she had decided to turn and leave the lobby while she could, Vincent turned and spotted her, looking even more irate when he saw her. "What is it now?" He cried.

Ashlee shook her head. "Nothing." She assured him, heading over to where Tessa stood. "Now doesn't seem like a good time."

"You're right!" Vincent all but shouted. "It's not."

Ashlee knelt beside Tessa, seeming to cower behind her sister. "What's going on?" She questioned and Tessa sighed, shrugging slightly, as though she didn't know the whole story.

"Her maid's cart," Tessa gestured to the terrified looking maid, "ran into this woman and now the woman wants to sue, she thinks she has a broken ankle."

"That's so weird." Ashlee said. "My cart lost it's two front wheels." Tessa studied her closely. "I doubt things like that just happen."

Tessa lowered her voice. "Morgan?" She suggested and Ashlee nodded. She narrowed her eyes reflexively; it just figured.

"And you know what else?" Ashlee continued. "I heard Morgan and Nicole talking about you a little while ago." Tessa's eyes narrowed into slits. "Nicole wants to get you fired." She wasn't exactly certain if those were the exact words that had passed from the brunette's mouth, but it was the point of the conversation.

Before Tessa had the chance to question her sister further, Jason returned with a chair no doubt taken from the Ball Room and set it in front of the limping guest. Seconds after the woman took her seat, Nicole appeared from down the hallway, looking over a clipboard piled with pages.

When she looked up, the first thing Nicole saw was that both Tessa and Ashlee were watching her intently, which made her nervous in spite of herself. She pulled her eyes away from the girls and found Jason and Vincent dealing with two woman, one of whom was an employee of the Grand Waimea. Somehow, Nicole knew that whatever was going on was because of something Morgan had done.

"What's going on?" Nicole asked, stepping toward Jason and trying to ignore Tessa and her sister. She looked over at the maid and then back at Jason, her question still hanging unanswered in the air.

Jason cleared his throat and sighed. "Amanda's cleaning cart ran into this guest and she thinks that her ankle is broken." He explained. "She also thinks she's going to sue."

Nicole looked over at the main, whom Jason had addressed as Amanda, and asked, "What exactly happened?"

"The break on my cart didn't work." The main explained. "So when I reached into the cart to get something, it started rolling down the hall and ran into this woman." She shrugged. "I don't know what happened."

Jason looked at Vincent. "Maybe it was just a problem with the cart." He suggested. "Not her fault."

The female guest didn't seem so pleased at this decision. "Well, then who's fault is it then I'm going to have to spend the rest of my stay in a cast?" She snapped. "Who's fault is it then I'm going to sue this stupid place?"

Vincent turned toward the woman. "That's not necessary ma'am, I assure you, you will be well taken care of." The woman deflated slightly. "As for our clumsy maid," he turned toward the pale young woman, "you're fired."

Jason looked as though he wanted to argue but kept his mouth shut; it wasn't his place to second guess Vincent when the hotel was in jeopardy. Tessa, however, didn't seem to have that thought and jumped to her feet. "You can't do that." She said and everyone in the group gave their attention to her. "It wasn't her fault, you can't blame her for something that she had no control over." Vincent didn't look too pleased by her sudden outburst. "If you want to blame someone," Tessa continued, "blame Nicole."

Nicole's eyes went wide. "What?" She snapped, whirling to face Tessa. "What are you talking about? I had nothing to do with this."

Vincent nodded in agreement. "Where are you getting your information from Tessa?" He questioned, though he didn't seem too interested in the answer. "Trying to fire the people you don't get along with doesn't fly in this hotel."

"That's not it at all." Tessa defended. "All of the stuff that's been going wrong have been because of Morgan and Nicole."

Nicole shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe you've stooped so low, Tessa." She clicked her tongue. "Not only are you a whore but now you're a liar too."

Before Tessa could even open her mouth to let loose a retort, Jason stepped forward, as though intending to physically protect Tessa. "Hey, Nicole, that is not necessary." He snapped, putting his hand on her shoulder and pushing her away from Tessa. "I suggest you keep your mouth shut."

Nicole looked at him, wide eyed, too stunned too speak even as she felt her tears well up involuntarily with tears. How dare Jason defend Tessa instead of her? She stepped back, knocking his hand away and sniffing, blinking away the tears without looking as though she was doing it. "Excuse me but can we remember who was being accused here?" She snapped, glaring at Jason, ignoring the look that Tessa was giving him. She seemed just as surprised that she had been defended as Nicole was; only see was giving Jason and pleased, loving expression as opposed to the anger filled one the brunette was giving the general manager.

Vincent cleared his throat and caused everyone to give them his attention. "Keep the lover's quarrels for after work, children." He chided. "As for the subject of this accident, it is not up for discussion. And if I hear any more childish accusations, _I'll _put an end to it."

Everyone was silent, including the newly fired maid, who was staring at the floor and trying to think of all the things that was going to gain by not slaving away at the Grand Waimea. Vincent turned his attention to the guest, who had remained silent throughout the whole ordeal, looking as though she were watching a soap opera. "If you'll come with me, Ms. Gesner, I'll get you taken care of."

The woman limped down the hallway, following Vincent, leaving behind her bag of ice; Ashlee couldn't help but notice that the guest was favoring her other foot. Nicole looked at Jason for a moment, wishing more then anything that murder that was not a crime, before whirling away and storming off toward the elevators. Jason ignored her actions, which were little more then a typical Nicole Booth temper-tantrum, and looked over at Tessa, who was smiling at him. "What?" He questioned, suddenly feeling slightly self-conscious.

Instead of giving him a straight answer, Tessa leaned forward and kissed him lightly, the faint smile still on her face. Jason smiled as well, squeezing her hand lightly as she slipped passed him, on her way back to her post behind the guest relations desk. Jason found himself staring at Tessa with that same smile on his face even after she had begun helping another guest that requested her attention.

Ashlee looked over at him and rolled her eyes good naturedly and took Jason's arm, attempting to tug him away from his fascination. He turned to look at the younger girl. "What?" He asked, though with less tenderness in his voice this time.

"My cart broke too." Ashlee explained, tugging again. "Stop stalking my sister and come deal with that."

Jason glared at her as he followed Ashlee toward the elevators. "I am not stalking her." He argued and Ashlee remained silent. "There's a difference between-"

"Obsessive staring and stalking?" Ashlee supplied with a smile. "You're right, big difference."

It was Jason's turn to roll his eyes. "How 'bout you just keep your opinions to yourself." He suggested as he hit the up arrow to call an elevator. "The whole hotel will thank you."

* * *

Nicole was relieved to find Morgan sitting in their suite, channel surfing, when she stormed into the room, slamming the door shut so hard behind her that one of the framed pictures of the horizon line tumbled from the wall. Morgan jumped at her sudden arrival, dropping the remote and cautiously turning to look at her. "Baby?" He chanced. "Is everything all right?"

"No, everything is _not _all right." Nicole snapped as she flung herself on the bed, shoving her face into a pillow and wrapping it around the rest of her head, looking as though she planned on suffocating herself. "I hate her, Morgan." She mumbled, hot tears spilling from her eyes. She hated herself for letting Tessa drive her to tears but she hated herself even more for letting Jason drive her to this state. He didn't deserve her tears anymore. "I want her out of here."

Morgan rested his hand on Nicole's shoulder and ran his fingers along her back. "What happened baby." He questioned, though he knew who Nicole was speaking of. The events that had driven her to her current state was the question in his mind. Nicole didn't respond to his touch and didn't remove her head from its cushiony confines. "Nicole?"

Nicole mumbled something and pressed her face farther into the feathers, breathing out and trying to push away thoughts of Jason and Tessa together. Morgan couldn't understand her words and her half-hearted attempt caused him to snatch the pillow away from her, dropping her head roughly onto the mattress. "What happened?" Morgan repeated when Nicole turned to look at him.

"Does it matter?" Nicole questioned, sitting up and snatching her pillow back from him. "I just want her out of her Morgan, I want her gone." She sighed and flung the pillow across the room. "I want to kill her!" She snapped, her words high and strangled.

Morgan hide an amused smile behind his hand as he fixed his irate fiancée with a sympathetic look. "You can always get her fired." He reminded, bringing back their earlier conversation. "It couldn't be too hard."

Nicole looked at him. "You're right, Vincent's getting tired of her, I can tell." She pointed out. "She's been walking the line too long and now this thing with her sister...I bet Vincent's just aching for a reason to fire her.

"Okay, so then why not go through with?" Morgan prompted. "But it has to be done in a way that no one can ever suspect its you."

"Tessa will know it's me." Nicole told him. "No matter what happens, she'll know it was my fault."

Morgan shrugged. "Who cares what she thinks, by that time, she'll already be fired. Tessa won't be Vincent's problem anymore and she won't be yours either." Nicole nodded slowly, warming up to the idea. "So, there's only one question left: how do you fire the concierge?" He didn't have a problem messing with wiring and unscrewing the wheels on maids' carts but for single targets...he was going to have to leave it to Nicole.

Nicole thought for a moment, trying to plot out the easiest way to fire someone like Tessa; if she tried to set something up for her to walk into a get herself fired, there was almost a hundred percent chance that the woman would get her way out of it. Something had to be done that Tessa couldn't flirt or scheme her way out of. And suddenly, the idea struck her.

"The dog." Nicole whispered, causing Morgan to study her strangely. "That stupid dog.." She looked up at her fiancé. "I told her that if she lost this guest's dog that I would fire her. All we have to do is take the dog."

Morgan smiled slightly; his future wife seemed to have a knack for this sort of thing already. "And where is this dog?"

"She must keep it in her apartment." Nicole answered. "All we have to do is find a way into her apartment and take that dog."

Morgan's smile grew. "Leave that to me."


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Tessa pulled her hair off her neck and sighed, having no doubt that Hawaii was the hottest place ever visited by mankind. She had been outside no more then five minutes and already she could fell herself beginning to sweat, her clothes beginning to stick to her skin.

As she stood in the growing line for lunch, Tessa let her eyes roam down the beach in front of her, which was crowded with people who didn't appear to mind the scorching sun above them. Ashlee seemed to be one of those people, running around the pale white sand with a trio of children who had taken it upon themselves to draw Ashlee into one of their childish games.

Tessa couldn't help but grin as she watched her sister take a dive for the sand, attempting to avoid being tagged by a girl no more then seven; promptly, all the children tackled her sister, climbing over her like a jungle-gym. Despite being driven into the sand, Ashlee looked happy, something that rarely happened; maybe she'd finally be able to retain what was left of her own childhood.

With two plates piled with shrimp and fried rice finally in her hands, Tessa turned away from the lunch line and headed for one of the few empty tables left in the unofficial employee lunchroom. Once she had set the plates down, Tessa squinted her eyes against the sun and scanned the beach, finally picking Ashlee out among the children that were currently tugging her toward the tide line, shouting about making a sand-castle. "Ashlee!" She shouted, getting her sister's attention. "Come eat lunch." Never in her life had she felt more like a mother and Tessa couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable; was that how her life was going to be now? Pretending to be a mother to her little sister, trying to send her off to school for her senior year, sitting down for parent-teacher conferences and meeting prospective boyfriends? Just what was she getting herself into by letting Ashlee stay with her?

Ashlee untangled herself from the children, promising to return later, and jogged toward the table her sister had chosen. Tessa watched her closely, for a moment no longer seeing her as a sister but as a grown child, someone she was now responsible for. She quickly pushed those thoughts away; Ashlee was still her sister and she'd been more of a mother to the younger girl then anyone else ever had.

"You look serious Tess." Ashlee observed as she took a bite of her rice. "What's the matter?"

Tessa waved her hand dismissively. "Nothing." She assured her sister. She reached for her water bottle, unscrewing the top just as the bottle slipped from her hands and landed in her lap, soaking her skirt before she could snatch the bottle away. "Damn it." She snapped, frustrated. Now she was going to have to use her already too short lunch break to go home and change.

Ashlee handed her some napkins but Tessa tossed them aside, standing up. "I've got to change." She mumbled wearily. "I'll be back soon, don't be late to work." She commanded as she turned away, trudging slowly down the beach toward the parking lot.

The taxi ride to her apartment building took no more then ten minutes but Tessa was already worried that she wasn't going to have enough time to change and get back to work without being late.

However, all those thoughts vanished from her mind when she reached her apartment, finding the door ajar, something it had not been when she had left earlier that morning. Cautiously, she nudged the door open the rest of the way and peered inside; her apartment appeared to be in shape, with nothing missing. Not that she had anything to steal.

Tessa stepped inside, checking the bathroom and finding it empty, something that made her even more confused. Nothing was missing, even Ashlee's temporary bed on the floor hadn't been touched, though it appeared at her apartment had been 'broken into.'

Suddenly, it hit her. Something _was _missing. That stupid dog was gone. Tessa leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. "Shit."

* * *

Ashlee was polishing the check-in desk when Tessa came storming into the lobby of the Grand Waimea, her eyes scanning the crowd rapidly. Her gaze rested on her sister and she hurried over to where the teenager was cleaning under the watchful eye of Nicole. If Ashlee had known anything about the missing dog at that moment, she would have attributed Nicole's constant attention as a guarantee that she would be around whenever Tessa returned from her apartment. But, since she was currently oblivious, Ashlee had yet to think anything of being followed by the brunette.

Tessa captured Ashlee's attention even before she reached the desk by calling her sister's name, causing her to pause in her feverish polishing. "Tess, what's the matter?" Ashlee questioned, looking at her sister with worry in her eyes. She also noted that Tessa hadn't changed out of her damp skirt, which only increased her concern. "What's going on?"

"You remember that dog, the one that we were supposed to be watching?" Tessa questioned, leaning close to her sister so as not to be over-heard.

Ashlee's brow knitted. "Yeah. Why?" She hardly doubted that the dog could cause this much concern. She was also a little annoyed; Tessa had her all worked up for nothing it seemed.

"It's missing." Tessa said without further pause. "It's gone, did you do something with it?"

Ashlee shook her head. "No. When would I have done something with it? And what do you mean missing?" She questioned, unable to grasp to complete story as it flew from her sister's mouth.

Tessa inched closer to her sister. "I went back to change and the door to the apartment was open and the dog was gone." She explained. "I think someone took it."

"Why would someone take Chili?" Ashlee asked. "He probably just ran away when the door was left open."

"But why was the door open in the first place?" Tessa pressed. "I closed it when we left this morning. It doesn't make sense, I think someone-" She stopped speaking abruptly, her eyes drifting away from her sister.

Ashlee turned to see what Tessa was staring at and saw Nicole heading in their direction, a faint smile on her face that she quickly managed to replace with a look of concern. Tessa straightened herself and fixed the brunette with a cold stare. "Is everything all right?" Nicole questioned once she reached the sisters.

"Everything's fine." Tessa answered. "Couldn't be better." She turned to go.

Nicole cleared her throat. "Then what's this I hear about a missing dog?" Tessa whirled back to look at her. "The missing dog isn't the one that I asked you to keep track of, is it?" Tessa didn't answer. "Because, if it is, we have a serious problem." She couldn't seem to keep a slight, sinister smile from passing across her lips.

Tessa narrowed her eyes and stepped closer to Nicole. "What did you do?" She questioned. There was no doubt in her mind that, after seeing the way the brunette had smiled at her, that she wasn't to blame in the disappearance of the dog. "What did you do with the dog?"

Nicole feigned innocent. "I have no idea what you're talking about, I didn't do anything with that stupid dog." She remarked. "This is the second time today you've accused me of something that I had nothing to do with."

Tessa lashed out and grabbed Nicole's wrist so suddenly that even Ashlee jumped in surprise; she yanked the brunette closer to her. "Look, I'm tired of your little games, so whatever grudge you're holding, you should just let it go." She hissed, her voice low and her face inches from Nicole's. "And just give me back that stupid dog."

Nicole tried to jerk her wrist free. "Take your hands off of me." She commanded, icily, when she couldn't free herself. "Or I will have you fired and that's a promise."

Tessa had to commend Nicole for her strong words and her firm posture, the girl seemed to have gotten a backbone since the night before. But she didn't do as Nicole asked. "It's not as though you aren't trying to do that all ready, you just need a reason."

Ashlee put her hand on her sister's shoulder. "Don't give her one, Tessa, because she really will fire you." She suggested. Tessa nudged Ashlee's hand away and the girl stepped back, suddenly worried at the direction this confrontation was heading.

Nicole held Tessa's gaze steadily. "You should listen to your sister." She advised. "She seems to be the only one with some sense around here."

Tessa and Nicole were so intent on each other that neither one of them saw Jason and Vincent approaching, just having left Vincent's office, discussing the troubles that seemed to surround the Grand Waimea. Jason stopped speaking when he saw Tessa and Nicole and felt as though something bad was about to happen. It really would be the perfect end to a perfect day.

"You don't seem to have any sense either, so I guess you're right." Tessa was saying. "Otherwise, you'd know enough to leave me alone and let me do my job."

Nicole finally pulled away, trying to ignore the aching in her wrist. "You'll be out a job before you know it." She threatened. "And besides, that's probably for the best; we don't need you screwing up the Grand Waimea again."

Tessa rolled her eyes. "C'mon, Nicky," she said teasingly, "don't you believe in second chances?"

Nicole fixed her with a sinister grin. "Sluts don't get a second chance." She remarked.

Before anyone could react, Tessa had struck out a Nicole, striking her across the face with such force that she stumbled backward. Nicole cried out as she tried to get her footing and keep herself from falling, her hand flying reflexively to her split lip as she blinked, attempting to clear her pounding head.

"Bitch." Nicole spat and rushed at Tessa, slapping her across the face. She fingers snatched for her hair but Tessa hit her across the face once more, shoving her into the ground.

Nicole didn't have the chance to react before Tessa was kneeing her in the ribs, straddling her and pinning her arms to the ground. She was vaguely aware of Ashlee shouting for her sister to stop and someone else, Jason if she wasn't mistaken, calling Tessa's name, as she attempted to free herself from Tessa's grip.

Tessa was preparing to hit Nicole across the face again when someone wrapped their arms around her waist and yanked her off Nicole. She turned to see Jason holding her tightly, dragging her away from the brunette, who was attempting to pull herself into a sitting position. She tried to pull away from Jason but he held her tighter, almost too tightly and Tessa was forced to be content with just glaring at the bloody Nicole.

Ashlee was standing where she had been when the fight had started, looking for Tessa to Nicole and back again, nervously and unsure of what to do. Nicole finally managed to struggle to her and feet and lunged at Tessa, as though forgetting that she was being held by Jason or perhaps because of that but Jason turned away, taking Tessa with him and leaving Nicole with nothing to attack.

"Stop!" Vincent shouted, finally reaching the group with several security guards in tow. "Do not move another inch." Nicole reluctantly remained were she was, glaring at Tessa.

Jason looked down at Tessa. "What the hell are you doing?" He snapped. "What were you thinking?"

Tessa pulled away from him. "She deserved everything she got." She snapped.

Ashlee shook her head. "Not the best way to go, Tess." She remarked, remaining where she was, complete with a cleaning rag in her hands.

Vincent cleared his throat. "I demand to know what is going on here." He commanded, growing red in the face. With all that he was already dealing with, this was just too much; what had he done to deserve this?

Nicole looked at her boss. "Tessa just started attacking me." She explained, trying to make herself look that the helpless victim. "I don't-"

"Because you called me a slut." Tessa accused before Nicole could continue with her innocent spiel.

Nicole whirled to face her. "Because you are." She snapped before her better judgment could kick in.

Tessa slapped Nicole across the face before Jason could restrain her, looking as though she was going to do it again before her sister shouted for her to stop. Nicole took a step back, deciding to take the defensive because she was clearly no good at the offensive and even went so far as she position herself behind Ashlee.

Vincent stared at Tessa for a moment, so frustrated that he couldn't form any words. "Get out of my hotel this instant." He commanded when he could finally speak. "And don't think about coming back here."

Tessa lifted her head, brushed her hair aside and headed for the entrance of the hotel, not giving a backwards glance to anyone, intent on strolling out of the hotel with her dignity still intact.

Vincent took a deep breath, attempting to gain some sort of control over himself. "That woman is not to be allowed in here ever again." He told the security guards beside him. "The last thing to Grand Waimea needs right now is another immature cat-fight."

Jason turned toward his boss. "Don't you think you're reacting a little quickly, Vincent?" He questioned. "Maybe we should get the whole story."

Vincent glared at him. "I'm not interested in the whole story, Mr. Matthews, I could care less about the whole story. What I care about is this hotel." He said, his voice level. "But, if you would like to question Miss. Booth then be my guest, but don't think you can interest me on the whole story."

With that said, he turned away and headed back for his office, the two security guards following closely after him. Jason turned back to Nicole and Ashlee, who were both watching him closely; he couldn't help but see how worried Ashlee looked, her wide eyes brimming with tears. He understood how she felt, unwilling to believe that Tessa was completely to blame in what had happened; he had learned his lesson about selling her short before and was too deep into his blooming relationship with Tessa to ignore it now.

"So," Jason said, still looking at Ashlee. "Just what is the whole story?"

Ashlee opened her mouth to give him what he desired but Nicole started speaking before she had the chance. "All I did was come over and ask Tessa if she had lost the dog that she was supposed to be keeping an eye on and she just lost it." She explained, making no move to hide the exasperation in her voice. "I guess she's been under a lot of stress lately."

Ashlee rolled her eyes and even Jason had to agree that Nicole went a little too far with that comment. "Okay, fine." Jason remarked, rubbing his temples. "Get cleaned up, Nicole." He advised before heading back toward the employee offices, motioning for Ashlee to follow him.

Nicole glared at Ashlee as she passed, hurrying to follow Jason, before turning toward the elevators. Morgan wasn't going to be happy to here about this. Ashlee followed Jason into his own office, only slightly smaller then Vincent's, and sat down as he shut the door behind them.

"Okay," Jason said once they had all the privacy they could. "What really happened?"

It didn't take Ashlee long to explain the events that had lead up to the fight but filling Jason in on the moments of the previous days that had gotten them to where they were, including the conversation she had heard between Nicole and Morgan her first night in Hawaii and what she had heard hours earlier.

Jason sighed and dropped into his chair, burying his face in his hands. "I can't believe that Nicole would let Morgan do something like this." He mumbled, sighing deeply. "I can't believe he could get away with this."

"We have to find the dog, that way we can at least prove that Tessa didn't loose it." Ashlee remarked. "Then maybe we can convince Vincent to re-hire her."

Jason looked up at the girl. "Somehow, I don't think it'll be that easy." He sighed. "I doubt he'll be willing to give Tessa the benefit of the doubt."

Ashlee watched him closely. "You really like my sister, don't you?" She questioned suddenly, catching Jason off guard. He looked at her, surprised, and his lack of answer was more then enough to convince Ashlee. "Of course you do. Tessa's the best."

Jason smiled slightly, Ashlee wasn't wrong there. "I know that if I want to have any future with her, I can't abandon her without even trying." He said, surprising himself. "I know that Nicole provoked Tessa, that's in her nature but Vincent won't be so willing to believe that."

"Then you have to make him believe it." Ashlee said with such assurance that Jason wondered if she knew something that he didn't.

Jason studied her for a moment. "And how are we supposed to do that?" He questioned finally. Not even he had that much sway over Vincent when he had made up his mind about something.

Ashlee shrugged. "How am I supposed to know, I've only been here a few days." She reminded. "But I do know that we need to find that dog and I'm almost sure that Nicole has it."

"How are we supposed to get the dog if we don't even know where it might be?" Jason questioned, somehow unwilling to believe that Nicole really had anything to do with what was going on. Morgan he could definitely believe but not Nicole.

Ashlee smiled. "I think I have an idea."

* * *

When Jason and Ashlee were finally about to locate Nicole, they found her in the massage room, enjoying a rub-down, compliments of Morgan, who was standing against the wall, checking something on his Palm Pilot. When he noticed Jason and Ashlee, he wrinkled his nose, making no move to hide his disdain, shaking his head before going back to whatever was on his screen.

"Hey Nicole." Jason's sudden voice made the brunette jump, bringing about a fresh wave of pain in her bruised ribs. "I just came to see if you were okay."

Nicole didn't open her eyes. "I'm fine." She snapped. "No thanks to your new girlfriend."

Ashlee headed over to where Morgan was standing and attempted to peek at his Palm Pilot, leaning against him. "What are you writing?" She questioned as Morgan nudged her roughly aside.

"None of your business." Morgan snapped, shutting his Palm Pilot. "Why don't you go bother someone else?"

Ashlee glared at him. "Fine." She retorted. "I'm sure there are plenty of up-tight businessmen with sticks up their asses to bother in this hotel." She remarked, heading for the door.

After wishing Nicole a quick 'recovery', Jason followed Ashlee out of the room, and shut the door behind him. "What was that all about?" He questioned. "I thought you were going to find out if they have the dog."

Ashlee grinned. "We are." She told him, holding out the white hotel key she had taken from Morgan's pocket. Jason looked at her, honestly impressed. "So, let's go."

"You've got to teach me that trick." Jason remarked as he and Ashlee headed for the elevators.

* * *

Ashlee swiped the key-card into the lock and opened the door to Morgan and Nicole's suite. She turned back to Jason. "You stand guard and if someone comes, make a sound like a dying giraffe."

Jason looked at her strangely. "What are you talking about?" He questioned, not quite sure what dying jungle animals had to do with anything. "A giraffe?"

"Haven't you ever seen _South Park_?" Ashlee questioned, shrugging when Jason didn't answer. "Fine, just knock on the wall."

That was better. "What are you going to do if Morgan comes back?" Jason questioned, unable to help himself.

Ashlee stared at him. "Get caught." She answered, before slipping into the suite and shutting the door behind her. She let her eyes scan the suite, looking for the white dog, but there was nothing more then unkempt suitcases and nice furniture.

"Chili." Ashlee called. "Here boy." Her words were answered by yipping and scratching, coming from behind the bathroom door. She turned in the direction and saw that the bathroom had been closed off, no doubt to keep a purloined puppy inside.

Ashlee opened the bathroom door and the dog came bounding out instantly, barking and jumping around her feet. She had just scooped the dog up and was heading to the door when she heard banging on the wall, a signal from Jason.

The door opened just as Ashlee pressed herself against the wall, attempting to fumble her way into closet behind her. She finally managed to duck inside and shut the door as Morgan entered the room, immediately beginning to search around, mumbling to himself about a missing key.

Ashlee opened the door slightly and peeked out from behind the crack, watching Morgan. He was rummaging through everything spread across the bed and the floor, no doubt trying to find the room key that she had snatched moments earlier. Once he had abandoned his search, he turned toward the table beside the large glass window and retrieved his laptop, heading for the door once more.

For nearly ten minutes, Ashlee remained in the closet, as to be sure that Morgan had decided that his laptop was the only thing he needed. But, once Chili began gnawing on her fingers, she decided she had waited long enough and finally emerged, making a break for the door.

Jason was waiting farther down the hallway when Ashlee finally emerged and turned in her direction, looking relieved to see her. "I wondered what happened to you." He said once they had joined up again. "But when Morgan didn't come out, dragging her behind him, I figured you must have gotten away."

Ashlee shrugged. "You don't become a perfect little thief and not know how to hide." She remarked before shoving the dog in his direction. "Here, I found him."

Jason took the dog was some disdain. "Great." He remarked, sounding as though it was anything but. "Hopefully this will be enough to convince Vincent to re-hire Tessa."

* * *

At first, Vincent wasn't even interested in seeing or hearing what Jason had to offer, but by some way of good faith, the general manager managed to convince his boss to hear him out. Vincent eyed the dog that Ashlee held without curiosity, just impatience. "What the hell is that thing?"

"This is the dog that Nicole said Tessa lost." Jason explained. "We found it." Ashlee looked at him, silently urging him to say more but he remained silent and so she did too. Jason looked a little uncomfortable about leaving out a seemingly vital piece of information but kept silent; it would only complicate matters to bring up Nicole and take Vincent's focus away from re-hiring Tessa.

Vincent studied him curiously. "I didn't even know there was a missing dog." He said. "I don't care about a missing dog, that has nothing to do with what Tessa did earlier. So if you're here to convince me to let her come back, you're not going to get very far Jason."

Jason, however, didn't appear to be interested in his words. "Listen Vincent, I wouldn't be asking you to give Tessa back her job if I wasn't sure that what happened wasn't entirely her fault. The future and success of this hotel is important to me, you know that and it's important to Tessa too."

Vincent looked at him an scoffed, trying to figure out if Jason really had the audacity to tell him that his newest hire cared about anything but herself. "Please." He mumbled. "Jason I've got a lot of work to do-"

"You know Tessa's kept this hotel from going under more times then you care to admit." Jason interrupted. Vincent was silent. "I think that earns her a second chance."

"I've given her several second chances." Vincent snapped. "More then I should have. Now she's putting this hotel in jeopardy."

Jason shrugged. "So give her another second chance, you know she deserves it." He studied Vincent closely.

Vincent was silent for a while, as though trying to ignore everything Jason had just said. Finally, he remarked, "I know no such thing." He sighed. "But the second she even looks at Nicole the wrong way, she's out of here, with no more second chances."

Ashlee couldn't help but smile and Jason did as well, though he hid it better then the younger girl. "I'll make sure of that, Vincent." He assured his boss.

Vincent didn't look very much like smiling. "You'd best do so." He advised. "Now get out of here, I have actual work to do."

Needing no further invitation, Jason and Ashlee hurriedly left Vincent's office before the man could change his mind. Once they were out of ear-shot, Ashlee turned toward Jason and asked, "Why didn't you tell him where we found the dog? Why didn't you tell him about Morgan and Nicole?"

Jason sighed. "I didn't see the point." He mumbled, not in the mood to tell Ashlee just why he really hadn't given his ex-girlfriend willingly to the slaughter. He didn't expect Ashlee to understand, or to even try.

Ashlee stared at him. "The point is," she said after a moment's pause, "that they've done something wrong and they deserve to be punished." Lord knew she'd been punished enough for all the wrong she had been forced to do in her life.

Another sigh escaped Jason's lips. "It's not always that simple, Ashlee." He said. "Life isn't always black and white, the bad don't always get punished and the good aren't always rewarded. Sometimes, you have to pick your battles." He stared at the teenager, knowing that behind her cold eyes, she understood what he was saying.

"It's not always perfect, is that what you're telling me?" Ashlee asked. "Well, you're preaching to the choir, Jason." She started down the hallway again, heading for the lobby of the hotel.

Jason remained where he was for a moment, watching the teenager before following after her; at least she had Tessa, they both did.

In the lobby, Jason spotted Morgan heading in their direction, not looking too pleased. "Just ignore him." He advised Ashlee, who seemed pleased to do as he said, keeping her gaze straight ahead.

Morgan glared down at the dog in Ashlee's hands, stepping in front of the girl and keeping her from going any farther. "I should have you arrested for breaking and entering." He snapped. "And I'm sure it wouldn't be the first night you'd spent in prison."

Ashlee looked at him. "You're right, it wouldn't be." She answered coolly. "But they usually give you more then one night for first degree murder."

For a moment, Morgan looked taken aback, as though he wasn't quite sure he should believe what Ashlee had said. Deciding against engaging in any further conversation with Ashlee, he turned toward Jason instead, who appeared to be waiting for his remarks. "So, I heard your hooker got fired, does that mean that she's returning to her previous vocation of standing on street corners?" He questioned. "Because I might just have to look her up for a few hours."

Without a thought, Jason punched Morgan in the face, catching the man by surprise and knocking him to the ground. Jason smiled, having the satisfaction of feeling Morgan's nose crack beneath his fist. "A word of advice, Morgan," He said to the man clutching his nose. "Leave my girlfriend and my hotel alone."

"You're gonna pay for that, Matthews." Morgan mumbled from behind his hands, trying to blink away the tears in his eyes.

Ashlee grinned at him and, wordless, tossed him the key to his room before following Jason out of the hotel. "That was impressive." She told him, the smile still on her face. "I think you broke his nose."

Jason smiled as well. "Maybe he'll finally get the message."

Tessa was laying on her bed, channel surfing and trying not to feel sorry for herself when the door to her apartment opened and the little white dog came bounding in. She was so shocked to see it that she could do nothing but stare at the little canine as it jumped on her bed, trying to figure out where it had come from.

That question was answered when Ashlee appeared seconds later with Jason following close behind her. Tessa looked over at him, no less surprised now as she had been earlier. Her eyes were fixed on Jason. "What are you doing here?" She questioned.

Ashlee smiled. "Jason got you your job back." She told her sister. "And he punched Morgan."

Jason shrugged wordlessly, as though these things were no big deal. Tessa slipped off her bed and headed over to him, studying him closely. "Why did you do that, Jason? You could have gotten fired." There was so much more she wanted to say, but somehow, the right words wouldn't come out. No one had ever risked themselves like that for her and Tessa was at a loss for words.

"It was no big deal." Jason remarked. "He had it coming anyway." He started to say more but Tessa threw her arms around his shoulders, silencing him with a kiss. When the kiss was broken, Jason grinned at her. "You certainly bring a lot of drama around with you." He said and Tessa raised an eyebrow, smiling slightly. "Just another day in paradise right?"

Tessa kissed him again, feeling happy and utterly content. When the kiss was broken once again, her smile grew wider. "It is now."


End file.
